SPRING 2019
From Vienna to Botswana
CONTENTS Share magazine stories online: The Luther magazine is online in a mobile and shareable format. Share stories through email, Facebook, or Twitter at luther.edu/magazine. Luther Magazine Volume 52, Number 3, Spring 2019 Published by Luther College Editor Kate Frentzel Art Director/Designer Michael Bartels Assistant Designer Sam Lahey ’18 Contributors Sherry (Braun) Alcock ’82 Kelli Billstein ’07 Sue (Franzen) Drilling ’78 Rachel Faldet ’78 Lori Ferguson Kirk Johnson ’82 Jon Lund Aaron Lurth ’08 Judy Riha Nathan Riley ’18 Rachel Schunder ’20 Jennifer Self Luther College Photo Bureau Luther Magazine welcomes articles and signed letters to the editor; submissions may be edited for style, clarity, or length. Inquiries and submissions may be sent to the Editor, Luther Magazine, Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045; magazine@luther. edu; phone (563) 387-1350. Class Notes submissions and changes of address may be sent to the Alumni Office at the address above. Alumni news may be emailed to the Alumni Office at alumni@ luther.edu. Questions and concerns about the magazine may be emailed to magazine@luther.edu. Alumni Office (800) 225-8664; (800) 2 ALUMNI Admissions Office (800) 458-8437; (800) 4 LUTHER Web luther.edu luther.edu/magazine © Luther College 2019
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President Paula J. Carlson We reflect with Luther’s 10th president on the ways she’s helped move the college forward.
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Paideia 450 Students in a course on migration and border issues look to local communities for a month of impactful learning.
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Study-away Students share snapshots from their experiences.
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Caretakers Meet Luther friends in England and Malta who help students make a second home abroad.
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Vienna residency A world-class experience for Luther student-musicians.
Departments 2 President’s Letter 3 Campus News 29 Alumni 38 Class Notes 43 Births/Adoptions 44 Marriages 45 In Memoriam
46 President’s Council 48 Collections Calendar (inside back cover)
Cover: a view from the stage of the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria, where students perform during a monthlong musical residency. Photo by Rachel Schwabenbauer ’19. Below: photo taken near the town of Flekkefjord, Norway, by Peder Smith ’20.
PR ESIDENT'S LETTER
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Each spring, I’m struck by the poignancy of Commencement, a time when we say goodbye to students we’ve grown to love, but also a time to rejoice at the great accomplishments of these new graduates and the hopeful futures they face with a Luther experience to ground them.”
This issue of the magazine reaches your mailbox just as hundreds of students prepare to celebrate the culmination of their years of learning at Luther. Each spring, I’m struck by the poignancy of Commencement, a time when we say goodbye to students we’ve grown to love, but also a time to rejoice at the great accomplishments of these new graduates and the hopeful futures they face with a Luther experience to ground them. This Commencement is especially bittersweet, since it will be my last one as Luther’s president. In July, the college will greet Dr. Jenifer K. Ward as its eleventh president. I know the Luther community will extend a warm welcome to her, as it did to me when I assumed the helm five years ago. It’s been an honor to serve Luther these past five years, not least because of the passionate people who care about the college. As president, I’ve been privileged to work with:
In this issue, you can read about some of these students, like Massi Faqiri ’20, who gave back to Luther by staging an ambitious and enlightening TEDx series on campus. You can read, too, about some of Luther’s committed faculty, like Susan Schmidt and Melissa Martinez, who took students on a series of excursions to learn about border and migration issues in the region. You can take in an infographic of the astounding ways in which Luther friends and donors donated a record-breaking $833,061 during Giving Day 2019. And, of course, you can read about some of Luther’s many brave, purposeful, intelligent, compassionate alumni at work in the world. The Luther community is an inspiration. Thank you for inviting me to share in it. Soli Deo Gloria!
• Faculty and staff who inspire students to ask difficult questions and lead lives of impact and purpose; • Alumni doing great things in the world, empowered by their Luther education and supported by the Luther network; •
Donors with big hearts, long-term vision, and a deep love and commitment to the college; • Community partners who form powerful relationships with Luther, offering students valuable learning opportunities and supporting the well-being of Decorah and beyond; • Students who thrive because of these teachers, mentors, donors, and partners, and because of the foundational education and experiences Luther provides.
Paula J. Carlson President
CAMPUS NEWS
New academic programs for a growing job sector tered care that includes helping with the prevention, evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation of diseases and disorders; dietary and nutritional services; and health systems management.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that from 2016 to 2026, employment in the health education sector will grow 16 percent and healthcare occupations generally will grow 18 percent—both much faster than the national average for all occupations. With this growth in mind, the Luther College Board of Regents unanimously approved multiple changes to the college’s Health and Physical Education Department, including renaming the department to Health Promotion and Exercise Science to better reflect changes to the program. Luther’s new HPES program will include a health promotion major/minor, an exercise science major/minor, an allied health sciences major, and an applied leadership studies minor. Brian Solberg ’88, HPES associate professor and director of Luther's athletic training program, says, “The new majors and minors address the growing need for professionals in healthcare, human performance, and leadership at the community and national levels.” As the cost of healthcare rises,
government, nonprofits, and private businesses are placing increased value on preventative health promotion. Luther’s health promotion major and minor will provide an entry point to this field and equip students to help individuals, families, and communities live healthy lifestyles. The new exercise science major and minor will meet increased student interest in the field of human performance. Students in the program will gain the knowledge
and skills to prepare them for a professional career or for graduate studies in areas such as kinesiology, biomechanics, and human performance.
The applied leadership studies minor will not be limited to students interested in health promotion, health science, or exercise science. Instead, it will complement major fields of study through multidisciplinary engagement and will teach students to apply principles of leadership to personal growth, activities, and vocational interests. The curriculum will include initiatives, activities, guest speakers, formalized internships, and adventure education opportunities that leverage the greater Decorah community and the regional attributes of the Driftless Region.
The allied health sciences major will ready students to enter a robust and growing field. Allied health professionals make up nearly 60 percent of the healthcare workforce. They work collaboratively with physicians, nurses, dentists, and pharmacists to provide comprehensive, patient-cen-
The overall changes to Luther's HPES program are designed to equip students to thrive in a rapidly changing world. “We are excited for our graduates and their ability to handle the challenging and ever-changing health and exercise environment in public and private settings,” Solberg says.
Thank you! #luthergives19 $833,061 raised for the Luther Fund
2,014: donors who made gifts that day 1,891: total gifts received 155: number of brand-new donors who made their first gifts EVER to the Luther Fund 189: faculty and staff who gave 75: amazing alumni volunteers who shared, tweeted, snapped, partied, and spread the word
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PHOTO COURTESY CENTENARY COLLEGE
“
We are at a crucial inflection point in the history of liberal arts education in our country, and in a world that needs the kind of graduates Luther College fosters. Everyone I met during the search process impressed me with their tough questions, their love for Luther, and their commitment to ensuring a bright future for our students and the communities and environments they will help steward. I look forward to exploring Decorah and to joining in the work of the generations who have shaped the legacy of this great institution.” —Dr. Jenifer K. Ward, President-elect
SAY HELLO to Luther’s president-elect Dr. Jenifer K. Ward, provost and dean of the college for Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport, was unanimously elected by the Luther College Board of Regents as Luther’s 11th president. In addition to her duties as provost and dean of the college, Ward served as professor of modern language and culture and as the Caroline and Ed Crawford Eminent Scholars Chair of Liberal Arts at Centenary, the only tier-one national liberal arts college in Louisiana. “Dr. Ward is a visionary and passionate leader who has repeatedly demonstrated
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the ability to effectively lead transformational change with an inclusive and collaborative style that builds relationships and inspires and motivates her colleagues across campus to achieve a shared vision,” says J. Robert Paulson Jr. ’78, vice chair of Luther’s Board of Regents and chair of the presidential search committee. “We are at a crucial inflection point in the history of liberal arts education in our country, and in a world that needs the kind of graduates Luther College fosters,” Ward says. “Everyone I met during the search process impressed me with their tough questions, their love for Luther, and their commitment to ensuring a bright future for our
students and the communities and environments they will help steward. I look forward to exploring Decorah and to joining in the work of the generations who have shaped the legacy of this great institution.” Ward’s experience in higher education is punctuated by a love of the liberal arts. Her work at Centenary as provost included integrating a liberal arts curriculum with cocurricular programming to “shape an educational experience designed to promote the intentional intellectual, creative, personal, and professional growth of the whole student,” she says. More than 15 departments reported to Ward as provost at Centenary, including Academic Affairs, which houses all of the college’s academic departments, schools, and programs; Student Development; Residence Life; Career Services; and Integrated Advising. She was responsible for overseeing roughly half of the college’s annual $25 million operating budget. Prior to her time at Centenary, Ward served as dean of the college, interim provost, and
associate provost at the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington. She was chair of the Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Department at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, where she also taught German. Ward began her academic career with faculty appointments at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, and the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. A distinguished scholar, Ward earned her PhD in Germanic languages and literatures from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and received her bachelor of arts degree with distinction from Hendrix College in her hometown of Conway, Arkansas. Ward will begin her duties as president of Luther College on July 1, 2019. To read a letter from Dr. Ward to the Luther community, visit lczine.com/ward-letter.
CAMPUS NEWS
Lisa Scott named VP Lisa Scott was appointed vice president for equity, inclusion, and student success. She will serve as the first in this role, which is a re-visioning of the former dean for institutional equity and inclusion position, a position she held since its creation in August 2017. She will continue to be a member of the senior administrative leadership team and a key leader and voice on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this new role, Scott will also work with colleagues across campus to foster student success in every aspect of college life. “After spending the last eighteen months with Luther staff, faculty, students, and members of
the Decorah community making strides toward inclusive excellence, I am energized, eager, and excited to build on the foundations we have set in place,” Scott says. “Student equity and success are paramount to the mission and vision of this college. I look forward to the essential work we will do together to create an enduring culture of inclusivity at Luther.” Moving forward, Scott will work closely with Luther leadership developing institutional strategies to ensure that Luther is a diverse and welcoming community, prioritizing student success in curricular and co-curricular programs across the college. She will lead programs and initiatives to increase diversity within the faculty, staff, and student body, and to assure that students thrive in their experience at Luther.
PHYSICS SCHOLAR Colin Weber ’20 of Rochester, Minn., was awarded a $5,000 Rossing Physics Scholarship for the 2019–20 academic year. The scholarship is awarded annually to physics students of exceptional merit through gifts from Thomas D. Rossing ’50, who created the scholarship fund through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Foundation. Weber, a physics and mathematics double major, was selected from a pool of exemplary physics student applicants from the 26 ELCA colleges across the United States. In addition to his academic activities, Weber is also a member of Luther’s cross country team, track and field team, Jazz Orchestra, Trumpet Ensemble, and VIP mentoring program. He plans to attend graduate school for physics in order to continue learning about the natural world.
BRUDOS WINNER
Sustainability leadership Jim Martin-Schramm, professor of religion, was appointed the new director of the Center for Sustainable Communities. He began his three-year term in the spring semester of the 2018–19 academic year. Martin-Schramm is widely published, with a focus on ethics and public policy. His latest books include Earth Ethics: A Case Method Approach and a coedited volume, Eco-Reformation: Grace and Hope for a Planet in Peril. He actively participates in Luther’s sustainability programs and serves on the board of the College Wind Energy Project.
“I’m honored to be appointed,” MartinSchramm says. “I have very big shoes to fill. Jon Jensen did a terrific job while he served in this role over the past six years. As a result, many people on and off campus view Luther as a leader in the area of sustainability and as a catalyst for change on campus and in the region.” During his tenure, Martin-Schramm plans for CSC work to focus on operational sustainability, applied and integrated learning, campus culture, and community resilience.
Katie Stuelke ’19 of Center Point, Iowa, received the 2018–19 Alan R. and Sally J. Brudos Family Prize for Opera Performance. The prize, which carries a $6,000 cash award, was established and funded by a gift from Sally J. and Alan R. Brudos ’55, a former chair of the Luther Board of Regents. The Brudoses established the award to assist talented students with the extraordinary expenses involved in the preparation and pursuit of careers in opera performance. As part of the award, Stuelke, a soprano, delivered an April 13 performance that included works by Mozart, Joseph Marx, Richard Strauss, Amy Beach, Elinor Remick Warren, Hector Berlioz, and Igor Stravinsky.
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NEWLY TENURED
At its February meeting, the Board of Regents granted tenure to 11 faculty members, promoting each one to associate professor.
Anna Peterson, history
Rachel Brummel, environmental studies/ political science
Research interests: modern Norwegian
history, the welfare state, women’s and gender history, comparative history
Research interests: I collaborate with my
students to explore how communities and polities address complex environmental challenges. I’m particularly interested in “transboundary” environmental issues— such as flooding, pollinator conservation, and invasive species management—that don’t abide by political or social boundaries.
Fun fact: I grew up so close to the Canadian border that I took ice skating and swimming lessons in Canada as a child. I teach because . . . sharing my knowledge gives
it value and meaning.
Fun fact: On my office wall, I have a 1990 newspaper
clipping of me as a child standing in the Upper Iowa River sampling water at a Luther College summer environmental summer camp. It was on my father’s desk for over 20 years before he passed it on to me when I started teaching at Luther.
Dawn Reding, biology
Research interests: using genetic tools
to study the evolution, ecology, and conservation of wildlife. I primarily work with mammals (foxes, bobcats, deer, bats) to address questions about population declines or expansions, subspecies designation, landscape barriers to animal movement, and mating systems.
I teach because . . . I love helping students develop their
own visions of how to contribute to the common good. Stephanie Fretham ’05, biology
Research interests: I’m interested in how
genetic and environmental factors interact to positively or negatively affect the brain.
Fun fact: I met my husband when we were students playing in the Tuba and Euphonium Ensemble at Luther.
students.
Fun fact: In a roundabout way, my PhD dissertation
and continued work on bobcats was an extension of my undergraduate senior project. So I like to point out to my current senior project students that if you choose a topic you’re interested in, you never know where it may lead. I teach because . . . I want to inspire understanding and
enthusiasm for the natural world.
I teach because . . . I like learning with my Jennaya Robison ’96, music
Research interests: vocal health/
Joseph Madrigal, art
rehabilitation, vocal pedagogy in the choral ensemble, inclusive pedagogy in treble and bass clef ensembles
Research interests: My research and
scholarship of creative work focuses on material explorations broadly centered on clay and specifically around porcelain. My work is influenced by the complexity of memory and bodily experience through habitual, sensual, and erotic connectivity. I teach because . . . higher education needs
challenging questions and provocative thought.
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Fun fact: The best ideas I get come from when I run—no music, nothing but the great outdoors and my thoughts. I teach because . . . music has the power to change lives
forever.
CAMPUS NEWS
Lindsey Row-Heyveld, English
Research interests: My research focuses on
disability in early modern England. Specifically, my recent book, Dissembling Disability in Early Modern English Drama, explores why over 40 plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries feature able-bodied characters faking disability.
NEWLY RETIRED Luther bids adieu to several faculty members who plan to retire at the end of the 2018–19 academic year. Thank you for your many years of teaching! Marian Kaehler, professor of biology
During my teaching career at Luther, I have most valued the opportunity to develop deep friendships with incredible colleagues, to engage hundreds of students in lab and classroom learning, and to deepen my professional and personal life with sabbaticals and study abroad.
Fun fact: My goal is to eventually see every
Shakespeare play performed live.
I teach because . . . I had great teachers myself. Justin Sprung, psychology
Research interests: My research focuses on
applying psychology within the workplace in order to improve worker well-being and performance. I am particularly interested in how people balance work, family, and leisure activities.
Retirement is an opportunity to reprioritize my interests and time, for family, friends, travel, and social justice. Linda Martin, instructor in music
Fun fact: I put ketchup on mac and cheese, eggs,
One thing I’ve loved about teaching at Luther is having great colleagues!
fish, turkey—you name it, ketchup makes it better! I teach because . . . I enjoy helping students accomplish their
personal and professional goals.
Robert Vrtis, theatre
Research interests: Lately, I’ve been working
with a colleague on inclusive acting pedagogy and character analysis. I also study theories of affect, Shakespeare, and clown.
Fun fact: I’ve spent a few summers training at a Clown Farm in Canada. I teach because . . . I love the collaborative energy of
an acting studio.
Alexandra White, management
Research interests: active learning pedagogy,
business ethics, social psychology
Fun fact: I enjoy listening to podcasts on a variety of subjects and look forward to integrating these into classes as a learning tool. I teach because . . . working with Luther students is stimulating, rewarding, and fun. Jill Wilson, education
Research interests: Current research interests
include music teacher education program curricula, mentor programs, dispositions, and music literacy pedagogy
Fun fact: My colleague Linda Martin was also my former teacher and first music education mentor. I teach because . . . it continues to be a challenge; I’m still
learning.
friends.
I plan to spend my first month of retirement deciding what to do with all the books and music I’ve accumulated. Or maybe I’ll just box it up and go to Lake Superior for some quality vacation time with family and
Lindy Moeller, assistant professor of library and information studies
One thing I’ve loved about teaching at Luther is helping students and others discover resources for their research. I plan to spend my first month of retirement enjoying summertime in Decorah. Jeannette Pillsbury, associate professor of education and assessment coordinator
I chose Luther College because I saw the possibility at Luther for community. I went to a college that had a strong community: students; faculty/staff; and students interacting with faculty/staff. I found just that. My greatest pleasure was the several years of eating lunch almost every day with a cross-section of Luther faculty/staff. I was enriched by the opportunity. My first month of retirement, I hope to be completing the last steps to make my move to Virginia possible.
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Jamie Herman ’18 delivered a talk on higher education at the inaugural TEDxLutherCollege event.
TEDxLutherCollege
Students bring the acclaimed talk series to the college, sharing ideas from the Luther community with a global audience. In March, Luther hosted a campus first: TEDxLutherCollege. The daylong event brought together hundreds of people who heard six speakers share stories about everything from climate change to higher education to overcoming distractions. By all measures, it was a huge success.
with the larger world. “There are thousands of great ideas all around us,” he says. “In a place like Luther College, we have a strong need for a platform that can reach millions of people. We don’t want any of these great ideas to die; we want them to connect with the larger world.”
The speakers were, no doubt, inspiring, but equally inspiring is the fact that the event was entirely student-led, student-run, and student-driven, organized and staged by a team of 25 student volunteers and their ambitious, time-generous leader.
So passionately did he feel about connecting his community to a global network of thought that— not for class credit, work study, or any other compensation—he took it upon himself to bring TEDx to Luther.
A MISSION TO SPREAD IDEAS—AND GIVE BACK Massi Faqiri ’20 had a mission: to give the Luther community a reliable way to share its messages
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A Davis United World Colleges Scholar from Afghanistan who came to Luther by way of the UWC Adriatic, Faqiri had helped organize a TEDx event at his high school in Duino, Italy. The familiarity gave him confidence, and he feels a lot of gratitude toward Luther: “I thought, that’s something I can contribute here
at Luther—why not?” It’s a plan that’s been three years in the making. “In terms of creating a blueprint, I started my freshman year,” he says. He’s reluctant to complain, but it’s clear that the undertaking was major. Luckily, so was his help. PASSIONATE VOLUNTEERS Faqiri assembled a group of about 25 volunteers whom he organized into six groups: web management, communications and marketing, production, curation, design, and event management. Almost half of the volunteers are international students, and Faqiri is proud of having assembled such a diverse team “from all class years, from different states and countries and religions. Sometimes at a meet-
ing when all of us are there, we call it a family,” he says. The students volunteered for a variety of reasons, including feeling inspired by talks they’ve seen. Event manager Iju Regmi ’20, an international studies and economics major from Nepal, says, “I believe that change starts from one person and one thought. . . . There are a lot of talks that have inspired me, and a few that actually have altered my mindset.” Curator Carson Schulte ’21 from West Des Moines, Iowa, says she volunteered “because I believe that the ability to simply listen and open up to a new idea or perspective is a powerful tool in healing communities and mediating conflict.” Communications studies major Annika Johnson ’20, who worked on the communications team, says, “I think TED and
CAMPUS NEWS
TEDx events always attract a community of people who love to discuss ideas and stimulate great conversation, and those are the people I like to surround myself with.” Some volunteers were able to combine their love of TEDx with their field of study, like Sneha Verma ’22, a computer science and economics major who noted that, as the TEDxLutherCollege website manager, “I can pursue my interest in computer science and, in a small manner, make an impact.” After Faqiri applied and interviewed for a TEDx license and started securing funding, mostly through Luther SAC Impact, the volunteer teams got to work finding speakers, locating a venue, starting a website, planning advertising and production, and a million other tasks that accompany an event of this magnitude. Jaime Herman ’18, Luther global learning intern and TEDxLutherCollege speaker, says, “This first event not only demonstrated the powerful ideas that are bubbling in our Luther community, but also our power to execute a professional, well-run, smooth, and inspiring event, all at the hands of student volunteers. Now that says something.” A MESSAGE WORTH SHARING Like the volunteers, TEDxLutherCollege speakers participated for various reasons—but with the same high level of enthusiasm. Maddy Lomprey ’21, who spoke on poetry and peace, says, “I decided to apply as a speaker because it has always been a dream of mine to give a TEDx talk. . . . Giving individuals a platform to share ideas that can’t always be communicated in a classroom, or in a research project or senior paper, is imperative to a fruitful education.”
Jack Jagielski ’19, who wanted to share observations from his lived experience, says, “I applied to be a speaker because I viewed TEDx as a great opportunity to take ownership and stand behind how my experience with ADHD has shaped how I think about attention and how to overcome distractions.” Herman, who spoke on higher education, says, “My time at Luther has been defined by conversations with friends and professors trying to work through my thoughts about Luther and materializing theories from my experience. . . . I always felt like more people needed to hear about the future of higher ed and what I had discovered. I talk about the liberal arts with anyone who will listen, so I figured this would be the ideal platform for amplifying those conversations within Luther and, hopefully, to the wider world.” Other speakers included Anila Bano ’20, with a talk titled “When It Hits Home: Climate Change and Isolated Communities”; Anita Tamang ’22 on “What Defines a Good Life?”; and Decorah community member Allen Manning, who spoke about Navajo culture. Faqiri says, “We wanted to make TEDx an experience or a journey to change yourself and get sparked by all these inspirational talks.”
Hundreds of people came out to hear speakers like Anila Bano ’20, who spoke on climate change.
TEDxLutherCollege was entirely student-led, student-organized, and studentrun.
Although it required an immense amount of time and energy, Faqiri plans to organize the event next year. A junior, he spent his spring break developing a leadershiptransition plan so that TEDxLutherCollege can continue even after he graduates. And that’s a very good thing—for the world of ideas and for Luther College. As Herman says, “TEDx is a platform not only to show people within Luther what people at this place have to say, but to give those ideas and arguments room to grow and spread in the world.”
The idea for the event started with Massi Faqiri ’20, who organized a large team of student volunteers, including (left to right): Mustafa Muhammadi ’19, Rida Naz ’21, Faqiri, and Arpine Hovhannisyan ’22.
Look for a link to videos soon at luther.edu/tedx.
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President Carlson presents Bob Naslund ’65 the Spirit of Luther Award.
SPIRIT OF LUTHER
A member of the Luther coaching family for more than 40 years, “Nas” served at the helm of the football team for 18 years and the track and field team for 12 years, winning 12 Iowa Conference team titles and Coach of the Year honors nine times. As an athlete, he played Luther football, reporting to the field as a “Blue Bullet,” and ran track and field, earning all-conference honors in both sports. As a teacher and mentor for Luther students, he was committed to diversity in his roles, and he has maintained relationships with alumni for decades. In retirement, he often drives the Luther team bus and remains a fan of Norse student-athletes and teams.
“In all honesty, it is hard for me to describe how thankful I am to receive this award, or to even be nominated for it,” Strien says. “To read of all the accomplishments, good works, and impact the other student-athlete nominees have made in their communities, and in their sport, is inspiring in itself and makes me honored to even be listed among them.”
“I’m honored to receive this award,” Naslund says. “There is no athlete I admire more than the Luther College student-athlete. My most sincere appreciation and admiration go to all of the Norse student-athletes—past, present, and future!” The Spirit of Luther Award recognizes individuals who have provided significant, sustained service to the college.
A true sportsman “This is very unexpected and humbling,” Wettach says. “To think that each day of the past 34 years when I had the great opportunity to walk through the doors of the Regents Center and simply attempt to give our students the best Luther experience possible, I never expected or thought of anyone ever recognizing my efforts.” He continues, “I have had, and continue to have, many mentors, colleagues, and role models who inspired me to ‘do it the right way’ when it came to modeling appropriate behavior, leadership, and sportsmanship. The lessons I learned from them taught me that integrity and respect are key factors in accomplishing this. Hopefully I was able to pass these attributes on to the students and student-athletes that I was so blessed to work with during my career.”
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Anna Strien ’18 was named the Johanna Olson Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2017–18 academic year. A softball player, Strien was named CoSIDA Academic All-American two times and selected Academic All-Conference three times. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association honored her as a
scholar-athlete four times. She graduated magna cum laude and was involved in several research and service projects during her time at Luther.
A longtime friend, supporter, athlete, and coach for Luther College, Bob Naslund ’65 received the Spirit of Luther Award at the spring semester opening convocation.
Jeff Wettach ’79, assistant professor emeritus and former head track and field coach, was honored in January by the NCAA with the Bob Frederick Sportsmanship Award, its highest recognition of sportsmanship. The award—given to just one coach, administrator, or staff member per year—recognizes those who have displayed the utmost respect for college sports and all who participate by leading by example and promoting positive fan involvement in and out of the competition setting.
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE
Jeff Wettach ’79
The award Strien received from the American Rivers Conference is named after former Luther cross country and track and field studentathlete Johanna Olson ’01, who battled brain cancer for more than 15 years before her death in 2013 at age 33. “As a Luther graduate, I cannot express how grateful I am to receive this award named after a fellow Luther student-athlete, who stood for so much more than just her athletic and academic ability,” Strien says. “Johanna Olson fully embodied the role of a scholar-athlete. She was one of the most driven, accomplished, and dedicated student-athletes Luther College has ever seen. But most importantly, through her relentless bravery and courage, she inspired so many and has made an everlasting impact that has been felt, and will continue to be felt, at Luther College and beyond.”
CAMPUS NEWS
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The
Passing Zone September 14, 2019
Russian Renaissance September 28, 2019
Jayme Stone’s Folklife October 12, 2019
The
Nature of Forgetting October 26, 2019
The
Des Moines Symphony Orchestra
CenterStage Series 2019–20
Nobuntu
November 22, 2019
Neil Berg’s
101 Years of Broadway February 14, 2020
Catapult March 7, 2020
Seeds
March 14, 2020
The
Brubeck Brothers Quartet
April 17, 2020
November 8, 2019
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A strong, bold, sustainable future Luther magazine reflects with President Paula J. Carlson as she wraps up her time at Luther. by Kate Frentzel This month, as Luther celebrates Commencement and extends warm wishes to hundreds of women and men embarking on new journeys, we add another name to the list: President Paula J. Carlson. Carlson retires in June, marking the end of a five-year period during which Luther has faced challenging realities, engaged in deep reflection, planned the way forward with courage and vision, and emerged with a solid foundation upon which to build future success. At the center of this work has been a commitment to enhancing student opportunity—through a focus on an innovative, interdisciplinary curriculum; equity and inclusion; applied-learning experiences that connect classroom and real-world instruction; retention efforts centered on programs for sophomores; increased student scholarships and philanthropic support; renewed athletic facilities; and a strategic plan that positions the college for a strong, bold, sustainable future. A 21ST-CENTURY CURRICULUM
Luther’s new strategic plan—Inspired. Empowered. Engaged.—written and adopted under Carlson’s leadership, calls for an educational model that “must be dynamic and open to innovation and renewal.” It envisions Luther as “a leader in reimagining a liberal arts education for a global society.” It’s a charge that Carlson has tak-
en seriously, supporting faculty as they’ve developed new, compelling, relevant programs to equip students to lead lives of impact in an ever-changing world. In the past three years, Luther has introduced six new majors and minors: data science, neuroscience, visual communications, musical theatre, exercise science, and applied leadership studies. Two additional programs—identity studies and global health—will likely earn approval this spring. “The faculty has been so creative and energized in creating new programs,” Carlson says. “One goal for these programs is that they are interdisciplinary, building on strengths in established programs to venture into new, emerging fields of knowledge. In a 21st-century global society, these interdisciplinary areas of study are often the most exciting, energized spaces in new, emerging fields.” She continues, “The world is changing; our curriculum needs and wants to change, too. The new programs are important to draw new students and to prepare students for new and emerging careers. Some of our students will get jobs as seniors that didn’t exist when they were first-years. That’s how dynamic the worlds of knowledge and work are now. It’s very exciting that Luther is so involved in these new interdisciplinary areas and is serving students in new ways.” Carlson has encouraged innovation
not only in the curriculum, but also in the ways that faculty teach and learn. This summer, the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) will open its doors on the Luther campus. As Carlson describes it, “This is a place where faculty can come together to share ideas, use resources, and try things out as they prepare to teach in new curricula and in new ways. Each generation of students brings its own set of gifts, talents, and perspectives. The center will be a place for faculty to learn about new pedagogies and new ways to foster engagement and success for this new generation of students.” A PLACE OF WELCOME
As a college in the Lutheran tradition, Luther is rooted in its mission “to embrace diversity . . . and to serve with distinction for the common good.” As president, Carlson’s been guided by the idea that every Luther student believes a college education will enrich their lives, and Luther, as an institution, owes them its full support in pursuit of this education. Recognizing that as our society diversifies, the Luther student body will and should diversify with it, she has worked to build more support for first-generation students and students of color. “It’s essential for us to live our mission and values, to truly be a community that champions inclusive excellence,” she says.
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Next Steps for Sophomores 150 new scholarships Rochester hub
“
The love of Luther alumni and friends of the college is deep and powerful. The philanthropy that people have shared with the college has impact every day for faculty, staff, and especially students. It has been moving to me to be a part of that.” —President Carlson
NEW SCHOLARSHIP
The Dr. Paula J. Carlson and Rev. Dr. Thomas H. Schattauer Scholarship was established last fall by a generous donor couple in honor of President Carlson and her husband. The scholarship recognizes Carlson’s courage, equanimity, and wisdom and thanks her for her stewardship of the Luther College community and mission. It will be awarded to qualified incoming students with demonstrated need for financial assistance, specifically to cover unmet financial need, and is intended to be renewed each year the student attends Luther.
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Equity and inclusion
She’s helped the college live this mission by investing in initiatives such as College Possible’s Catalyze program, which supports Pell Grant–eligible and/or first-generation students as they navigate college life. She also created a cabinet-level position—vice president for equity, inclusion, and student success—to work with students, faculty, and staff to promote a culture of inclusion and student success across campus. Carlson has partnered with Lisa Scott, who assumed the position, to support the new and ongoing initiatives of the Center of Intercultural Engagement and Student Success—formerly the Diversity Center—as they’ve re-envisioned what the center is and does on campus.
It’s important to Carlson that students have these kinds of opportunities to integrate classroom and real-world learning during their time at Luther. In an effort to coordinate students’ career planning with their academic programs, Carlson has worked with Luther’s Career Center to develop a powerful model in which the center’s director partners with a new faculty position, an associate dean for integrated academic and career development. “It’s going to offer many opportunities for students to prepare for their next step after college,” Carlson says. “It’s a cutting-edge, innovative model—I don’t know of any other campus that has it. Look for very fruitful results from that.”
INNOVATIVE WAYS OF LEARNING
COMPREHENSIVE, INTENTIONAL ADVISING
During her time at Luther, Carlson has sought to increase opportunities for students to learn through engagement with the real world. The strategic plan calls for several initiatives that allow students to combine classroom and real-world experience. One of these is an experiential-learning hub currently under development in Rochester, Minn. The program in Rochester will provide internship sites, housing, and complementary coursework for students of all majors. It will be similar to the Lutheran College Washington (D.C.) Semester consortium in which Luther participates, and if it’s successful, Carlson sees opportunity for Luther to expand the model to other cities. A second applied-learning opportunity that Carlson is excited to launch is an Innovation Incubator that the strategic plan describes as “a student laboratory for entrepreneurship and socially responsible businesses.” “It will be space on campus for students, faculty, staff, and community members to come together to invent things, make things, imagine, and create. We don’t want too many boundaries on it, because then it’s neither innovative nor an incubator,” Carlson says with a smile. “It should promote entrepreneurship, applied learning, and creativity. There’s a lot of potential there.”
One of Carlson’s priorities when she started at Luther was to address the often overlooked sophomore year. While Paideia and other programs exist to support campuswide learning for first-year and upper-level students, programmatic support specific to sophomores was lacking. So Carlson convened a group of about 40 faculty and staff volunteers to develop a Next Steps for Sophomores program to connect with students during this critical year. “There’s value in engaging with sophomores in that intentional way,” Carlson says. “It matters a lot to their learning, it matters to their growth as people, and it’s fundamental to their success at Luther College.” Carlson envisions that ultimately Next Steps for Sophomores will be just one piece of a larger comprehensive advising program that will include experiential learning, the Career Center, and other initiatives to help students think more intentionally about their learning and prepare more purposefully for their futures by bringing together curricular and co-curricular activities, on-campus and off-campus learning, and academic and beyond-theclassroom experiences.
First endowed coaching position
Six new majors Strategic planning Impactful giving Refreshed athletics facilities
A REFRESHED ATHLETICS PROGRAM
Carlson’s presidency has meant great things for Luther athletics. In the past five years, Luther’s baseball stadium, softball stadium, and outdoor tennis courts have been renovated; Legacy Field has been outfitted with top-of-the-line blue synthetic turf; and plans have been completed for renovation of the indoor facilities in the Regents Center. Carlson admires the motto of the Luther athletics program—Mens sana in corpore sano (A healthy mind in a healthy body)—just as she admires the people who participate in it. “The distinguished history of Luther athletics and the legends who have been coaches and faculty in it are a signature piece of the Luther College community,” she says. Carlson’s tenure saw the first endowed coaching position in Luther history when an alumna—a member of the college’s first women’s cross country team—and her husband contributed $1 million to establish the Kent Finanger Endowed Chair for Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field. IMPACTFUL GIVING
Philanthropic giving is thriving at Luther. In the past five years, Luther donors have contributed nearly $90 million in gifts, pledges, and planned gifts. Notably, the number of endowed scholarships has increased to 838 (including 150 new scholarships during the past five years), with 54.2 percent of the college’s overall endowment earnings earmarked for student scholarships. “The love of Luther alumni and friends of the college is deep and powerful. The philanthropy that people have shared with the college has impact every day for faculty, staff, and especially students. It has been moving to me to be a part of that,” Carlson says. She finds endowed scholarship support “particularly heartening now because that makes a Luther education available to more and more students. As we think about Luther’s tradition of enrolling firstgeneration students and expanding the diversity of the student body as our society
diversifies, it’s important that we have scholarship funds that can enable students to come to Luther and thrive here.” She continues, “In the future, there will continue to be financial and demographic challenges facing higher education. Having significant endowment support is essential for the college to thrive in the years ahead. During these past five years, the Luther community has shown its commitment to the college. The gifts are significant, and they will have a significant impact on Luther’s future—they will make the difference.” A ROADMAP TO GUIDE US
Luther’s progress over the past five years didn’t happen without a plan. In fact, Carlson led two strategic planning processes during her presidency. The first, Luther College Priorities, was a “bridge” plan during her first years in office. The second—Inspired. Empowered. Engaged.— sets institutional goals through 2023. About creating the plans, Carlson says, “In a place where learning is at the heart of things, it’s exciting to be learning about our learning. That’s essentially what we do in a strategic planning process. We learn together about what we need and want the college—this place of learning—to become in the future. During both planning processes, I was impressed with the community’s robust engagement. The Luther community cares about the college in a deep, deep way. That’s a distinctive thing about this community. The deep care. The deep love. And the robust engagement.” Asked where she hopes the college will be in 10 years, Carlson doesn’t miss a beat: “I trust that Luther will be rooted in its mission and living its values, educating students—mind, body, and spirit—in the creative, committed way it has throughout its history. I trust, too, that Luther will continue to adapt and innovate—inspiring, empowering, and engaging new generations of students to thrive, serve, and lead in an ever-changing world.”
FROM THE BOARD
The Board of Regents thanks Dr. Carlson for her leadership and passion over the past five years. She has consistently demonstrated a willingness to put Luther first and partner with the board in courageous conversations as we face our reality and determine a path to sustained future success for Luther. . . . During Dr. Carlson’s tenure, we’ve experienced some of the highest fundraising years in Luther’s history, including the launch and growth of our annual Giving Day. She set forth a vision for the integration of people and place with the establishment of the Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Sophomore Initiative, and the partnership with College Possible. Most importantly, she led the development of Luther’s comprehensive strategic plan: Inspired. Empowered. Engaged., outlining a bold path forward for Luther. . . . Understanding the importance of evolving our curriculum to compete, Dr. Carlson worked with faculty to establish competitive interdisciplinary degrees, such as neuroscience and data science. As well, she continues to support the evolution of Luther’s strengths outside of the classroom, including enhancing the role of athletics in driving enrollment and establishing an endowed fund to support music and Christmas at Luther. We’re grateful for Dr. Carlson’s grace, passion, and resiliency and want to thank her, and the cabinet, staff, and faculty, for setting a strong foundation for Luther’s future. We know she will forever be a part of Norse nation and an ardent supporter of Luther College. Wendy (Jaycox) Davidson ’92, chairperson J. Robert Paulson Jr. ’78, vice chairperson
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From classroom to community Students in a course on migration and border issues look to local communities for a month of impactful learning. What are our ethical responsibilities toward people who migrate? How does immigration affect a sense of identity—as individuals, as communities, as nationals? To explore these complex questions, students in a January Term Paideia 450 course made a classroom of regional communities. VISITING REGIONAL HOTSPOTS OF MIGRATION ISSUES
Decorah is neighbor to a few places that illustrate migration issues in a dynamic way. Assistant professor of social work Susan Schmidt and visiting assistant professor of political science Melissa Martinez took advantage of this proximity in January, when they took a group of students to the Iowa Dairy Center in Calmar, where they explored
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how immigration is relevant to the dairy industry, and to Postville, Iowa, site of the 2008 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at the Agriprocessors slaughterhouse and meatpacking plant. The Postville raid was, at the time, the largest workplace raid in history. It resulted in the arrest of 398 employees, 98 percent of whom were Latino, and it continues to impact the town of about 2,000. “We can read all of this in a book,” Schmidt says, “but by meeting people and building relationships, we see what we have in common.” This kind of learning, Schmidt says, allows students to become more comfortable working and interacting with people from all backgrounds, ultimately humanizing people who migrate. Just north of Decorah
lies another epicenter of immigration: Minnesota. Minnesota has the highest number of refugees per capita in the country, making the Twin Cities, where many of the state’s migrants settle, an ideal place to study migration issues. PD 450 students spent a week there, visiting organizations that provide various services to refugees and immigrants as well as organizations that refugees and immigrants have created themselves. Among other places, students visited the Mexican Consulate, the Somali Museum of Minnesota, the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, the Immigration History Research Center, the Masjid AtTaqwa Mosque, Wellstone International High School, and various counseling and legal services and professionals, including Alison Brandell-Douglas ’09, an immigration attorney at the Federal Immigration Court in Minneapolis. Brandell-Douglas felt the effects of the Postville raid profoundly. “I grew up in Storm Lake, Iowa, surrounded by a growing immigrant and refugee population, which greatly enriched my town and my childhood,” she says. “However, after witnessing the aftermath of the immigration raid in Postville, it was clear to me that our country and economy did not value my community, my classmates, or their parents. I felt called to work to help right this systemic injustice because I grew up surrounded by the benefits of such a diverse place.” At Luther, BrandellDouglas majored in chem-
istry and Spanish. Having since become an attorney, she provided the PD 450 class with a powerful example of the flexibility of their education. “One definition I have heard of vocation is that it’s the intersection where your greatest gifts meet the world’s greatest needs,” she says. “I loved chemistry because it was logical and systematic. Immigration law is a massive system (unjust in many ways, but a system nonetheless). Working in immigration, I get to use the logic skills developed in my chemistry education to help others understand their immigration possibilities, accompany them on their journey, and educate my community about our immigration laws. It’s the intersection where my greatest gifts meet the world’s greatest needs.” OBSERVING FEDERAL IMMIGRATION COURT
Students agree that witnessing Federal Immigration Court proceedings was one of the most powerful, difficult, and eye-opening experiences during the course. Beforehand, as a preparatory exercise, they filled out applications for asylum, knowing that often these forms are filled out by people who can’t yet read or write English. During their courtroom observation one Tuesday afternoon in the middle of the January government shutdown (the courtroom for people who are detained continued operation), students saw migrants cycle through in handcuffs and orange jumpsuits, using interpreters—
“Migrants are normal people who face a system . . . that generalizes their collective experiences without empathizing with anyone. In an age when immigration is divided along party lines, it’s especially important not to politicize people who are just trying to build a future.” —Elizabeth Glennon ’19 sometimes by telephone—to engage in legal proceedings that would decide their future. “People in immigration proceedings are not guaranteed attorneys,” Schmidt says, “so we thought about what it might be like to go through that process in a different language without an attorney.” Claire Eichhorn ’19, an international studies and Spanish double major who is considering practicing law, says, “Observing court cases . . . was an almost surreal experience. Learning in a classroom about this topic is one thing, but seeing actual court cases that would actually affect the lives of the people in that room put everything in perspective. . . . Deportation always seemed to me like a big action, when in reality, it happens in the courtroom in a matter of minutes.” “We saw how quickly
the proceedings go and how communication of what’s going on can be difficult due to language barriers and legal jargon,” says biology major Elizabeth Glennon ’19. “Some trials lasted only a few minutes, and most ended in deportations or high bonds. Seeing this court made me much more sympathetic to immigrants since the system seemed so set against them, not just in the court itself, but also in the steps leading up to it, like long holding times, restricted communication, and the majority of migrants without lawyers.” Social work major Sanna Berdahl ’19 says, “As I was watching respondent after respondent, it hit me that while I was watching the same process over and over again and the judge was using the same words again and again, every single
person there had their own lifetime of a story leading to and away from that moment. . . . Most of the immigration stories I’ve heard have either been expansively broad, such as in news stories, or minutely individual, such as a book about one person and their story. All of a sudden, in that courtroom, that broad view and the individual view intersected for me, and I was suddenly more acutely aware of the vastness and the depth of the issue at the same time.” LEARNING FROM FELLOW STUDENTS
Paideia courses are, by design, interdisciplinary, but Schmidt and Martinez built in extra reassurance that students in their course would benefit from multiple perspectives by creating small discussion groups in which students were evenly dispersed by major. “Migration is a particularly appropriate topic to consider in an interdisciplinary context. It doesn’t sit in one discipline or another,” Schmidt says. “As a professor, that was a really enjoyable part of teaching this course—having students from many fields in one classroom, bringing those perspectives to the topic and asking questions from different perspectives that maybe
we as professors wouldn’t be asking from our disciplines. Paideia is a unique opportunity to do those kinds of things.” Glennon agrees: “It was interesting to see other points of view about immigration, particularly from the humanities students. As a biology major, I sometimes felt a little out of depth discussing all the cultural and social implications of migration, so it was helpful to discuss it all with people who took a less analytical approach. Respectively, I think science majors helped the class take a broader approach to the already complex subject.” Paige Yontz ’20, a management and accounting double major, also appreciated discussion with her social work and humanities-driven peers. “It was helpful to hear a more humanistic approach to the issues at hand,” she says, noting that it was likewise valuable for those peers to hear from students in policy- and fiscally-driven sectors. Regardless of major, students left the Twin Cities with the same takeaway. As Yontz summarizes, “The migrant experience is something that impacts us all in some way, shape, or form. Maybe it’s on a personal level or maybe it’s in the communities that we live in, but each and every one of us will experience a situation in our lives where compassion and understanding must frame our discussions and actions surrounding immigration and migration worldwide.” —Kate Frentzel
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Connection. Annika Vande Krol ’19 spent January Term on the Paideia 450 course People and Parks: Pastoralism and Conservation in East Africa. She says, “This photo was taken at our first boma stay at Mbarangati. We visited the Maasai as they milked their cattle after coming in from a day of grazing. This Maasai man gestured to me that he wanted his photo taken, then he picked up a small goat, and this was the result.”
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DISCOVERY
Students on study-away programs share what they see through the lens.
Celebration. On a January Term course in East Africa, Annika Vande Krol ’19 took this photo of professor of anthropology Lori Stanley ’80 dancing with Maasai women at an emanyatta in Soit Sambu. Stanley has been leading trips to the region for many years.
Exploration. Chloe Beck ’20 admired this colorful phone booth in Bath on a class trip during the year she spent on Luther’s Nottingham Program in England.
Observation. Cory Eull ’21 spent January Term in Luther’s Disaster and Enlightenment: Pilgrimages in East Asia course. Students in this religion class visited Hong Kong, China, and Japan to explore the idea of pilgrimage, especially as it relates to disaster and tragedy. Eull took several photos to “capture the colors, people, and landscape of specific places.”
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Inspiration. Amanda Mertens ’21, who studied in New Zealand, was excited to capture this perfect shot at Castle Point during a road trip up to the east coast of the North Island. “The weather was windy and cloudy the whole time we were there,” she says, “but as we made our way up to the top of the lookout point there was a break in the clouds that allowed the sun to shine through so I could take this photo.”
Recreation.
Ashley Bicknese ’22 captured this shot of Jonah Zaimes ’21 enjoying the water after a 14-mile hike in Picton, New Zealand, during Luther’s Communication and Adventure Recreation communication studies/physical education course.
Contemplation.
Brita Holmlund ’20 spent January Term on the Paidea 450: Stability and Change in Vietnam course. She took this photo in a mangrove bird sanctuary and says, “This picture related to the modernization theme of our class and shows how humans can pierce into the deepest parts of natural sites—something that could become deadly to an area and yet is also strangely beautiful in its own sense.”
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A slice of life. Neuroscience major Noelle Drapeau ’21 spent January Term on the Art 290 course, Art in Cultural Perspective: European Art History, Gothic Renaissance, and the New Media Art. She took this photo on a bridge in the middle of Strasbourg, France, to capture, she says, “a slice of what life was like in such a beautiful city.”
Adventure. Ashley Bicknese ’22 rafted the Kaituna River in Rotorua, New Zealand. This photo captures the drop down a seven-meter waterfall, the largest commercially rafted waterfall in the world. Bicknese notes, “It doesn’t look as dangerous as it felt!”
Memories. Annika Johnson ’20 took this photo in Vietnam. “The view from sea level never gets old,” she says. “After finally making the long-awaited journey to the famous Ha Long Bay, we got to paddle around the islands in tandem kayaks. Cool foggy weather made the journey eerily peaceful and one not quickly forgotten.”
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Reflection. Cory Eull ’21 took this photo during a Luther religion course, Disaster and Enlightenment: Pilgrimages in East Asia. Beautiful reminders. Music major Brenna Sherman ’19 took this photo of a traditional Korean gate during her student teaching placement in Seoul, South Korea. “This gate lies right on the campus of the school I am student teaching at, the Seoul Foreign School,” she says. “I get to walk past this beautiful archway every day and am constantly reminded how fortunate I am to be in a place and surrounded by a culture that is so beautiful.”
Surreal views. Biology major
Amanda Mertens ’21 took this photo during a hike in along the Hooker Valley Track in Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand. She says, “The track winds through Hooker Valley, surrounded by snowy mountains and along a glacial stream. I was inspired to take this picture because of the beauty and surreality of this culturally significant area.”
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New perspectives. Brenna Sherman ’19 completed her music education student-teaching placement at the Seoul Foreign School in Seoul, South Korea. She took this picture of Seoul from the top of Ansan mountain, where she lived.
Restful moments.
Management and Nordic studies double major Peder Smith ’20 spent fall 2018 at the University of Agder in Kristiansand, Norway. He took this photo at the top of the Gaustatoppen mountain in Telemark, Norway, at a small cafe where hikers could take a break and drink some coffee or hot chocolate and eat warm waffles.
Journeys together. Annika Vande Krol ’19 took this photo on a safari with classmates through the Ngorongoro Crater during a Paideia 450 course in East Africa.
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Caretakers abroad
If you spend enough time on airplanes, like I do, you might find your interest piqued by air travel articles. Several months ago, I read an article in USA Today reporting on a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study concluded that the 11 people nearest to a person on an airplane with a respiratory virus have an 80 percent or more chance of catching it (beyond that area, the chance of contagion plummets to just 3 percent). Now that’s comforting! Look two seats to the left, two seats to the right, and the row in front and behind you. That’s who you need to know (or at least whose health status you need to know). For decades at Luther’s off-campus programs in Nottingham and Malta, it’s clear who our students and onsite faculty directors need to know. The college has been blessed to have Dave and Kate Juggins in Nottingham and Maria Mercieca in Malta as our nearest—and dearest—contacts. It is, perhaps, the program directors we send each year who benefit most from knowing them; their dedication to Luther and our programs is infectious. Here, our current Nottingham and Malta directors introduce us to these caretakers. —Jon Lund, executive director, Center for Global Learning and International Admissions
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Nottingham’s best friends: The Juggins family People might assume that directing Luther’s Nottingham Program isn’t a dramatic change from life in the States. Brits, after all, speak English. Let’s make that British English. Throw in a semidetached house in a city of 850,000, grocery shopping for juniors whose flat is around the corner, and trying to convince a British bank to issue a Luther debit card in your name. Because the yearlong job is a concoction of cultural differences and puzzling situations, program directors need interpreters. Since 1987, Kate and David Juggins have been Luther’s loyal next-door neighbors. The pair, who grew up in the neighborhood, are treasure troves of historical knowledge about the program and daily life tips. Where to buy a reliable vacuum cleaner (John Lewis). How stressed to get about Brexit chaos and potential fresh produce shortages (relax). Correct pronunciation of house-trip destinations. Not to mention “where to get a decent haircut,” laughs David, who had a 30-year career as a welfare fraud investigator for the UK government and knows the code to silence rogue fire alarms in the student flat. The Nottingham Program started in 1972 and is in its 47th year, and Kate and David have lived next door for 32 of them. Soon after new directors arrive in June,
the Juggins duo knocks on the front door and, according to David, say, “We’re your neighbors. If you want help, we’re here.” “We are a library of decisions and outcomes for the directors,” says Kate, a self-employed psychotherapist. “We know the flow and pattern of the year. At some point, there will be a crisis of some kind, whether small, like a student pushing the boundaries, to having major issues, like a death in the family.” She adds, “The sooner new directors are confident with the cultural differences, the sooner their students will be more engaged with life in the UK.” The Juggins’ lives contain a pattern of getting to know and letting go, then restarting the cultural-exchange cycle. Kate says, “From the middle of May, I’m in a phase of having to let go of somebody that I’ve come to care about very much.” They have traveled to the Midwest six times, including to receive a Spirit of Luther Award in 2008, “to see old friends, often deep relationships,” says David. So why has this British family generously interacted with decades of Luther families and students? “We do it because we care,” says Kate. —Rachel Faldet, assistant professor of English and 2019 Nottingham Program codirector
Maria Mercieca: A consummate host In the fall of 1992, a young Maltese woman, Maria Mercieca, rented an apartment to Luther College faculty member John Moeller, who, along with his wife Lindy, was leading Luther’s Malta and the Mediterranean Program. The Moellers found Maria’s flat through a referral from a local Maltese contact, and that reference proved to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Maria and the Luther community. Although Maria had no prior relationship with Luther College, she quickly transitioned from landlord to caretaker, host, and friend, thanks to her abiding belief in the importance of service and caring for others. Today, Luther rents three apartments from Maria each spring for Malta Program leaders and students. The tiny island of Malta is less than half the size of Winneshiek County but has a growing population of 450,000. Maria helps the Luther group navigate life in this densely populated country, which is packed with fascinating historical sites and breathtaking scenery. Articulate, charming, and upbeat, Maria is quick to offer a thoughtful compliment, a solution to a problem, or advice about life in Malta. Maria feels a deep connection to Luther faculty and students, and she has come to feel like she is part of the program. “It feels like I know the group before they arrive,” says Maria. “When I hear them talk about
Decorah, it reminds me of Malta. The values and supportive community are what I love about Malta, and I think you have that in Decorah as well,” she says. Maria’s gregarious charm and caregiving skills are also reflected in her professional life and volunteer activities. She spent most of her career working in banking, both in client services and in customer care departments. Recently retired, Maria volunteers for her church in several capacities. It’s been more than 25 years since the Moeller family led the Malta Program, and the island has seen many changes over that time. Gone are the lampuki vendors who used to walk through neighborhood streets selling freshly caught fish. In 2011, the brightly colored traditional Maltese buses were replaced by a fleet of air-conditioned, handicapped-accessible vehicles. Construction projects proliferate, and more and more cars compete for precious parking spots. Amid this swirl of developments, Maria’s warmth and hospitality have served as a grounding presence for Luther faculty and students. Luther visitors know that Maria will offer a generous welcome to this enchanting country, and she will do it with a twinkle in her eye. Thank you for your many years of support, Maria!
“It feels like I know the group before they arrive. When I hear them talk about Decorah, it reminds me of Malta. The values and supportive community are what I love about Malta, and I think you have that in Decorah as well.” —Maria Mercieca
—Jennifer Self, off-campus programs advisor and 2018–19 Malta codirector
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Rachel Schwabenbauer ’19 and Natalie Delcorps ’19 at the Musikverein. Photo courtesy Natalie Delcorps ’19.
A Luther student abroad A monthlong musical residency in Vienna helps students grow as musicians and as global citizens. By Kari Jacobson ’21
I entered the golden hall, graced by frescoes of muses gazing down from above, and could scarcely believe I was there. The flute trills and violin figures magnified by the unique acoustics of the historic hall overwhelmed my senses. I was about to hear the Vienna Symphony perform Berlioz’s Harold in Italy and Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. The Luther College Symphony Orchestra has maintained a 25-day residency in “The City of Music,” every four years
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since 1977, allowing students to immerse themselves in Viennese music and culture. During January Term 2019, we rehearsed repertoire and studied current and historical performances in an academic course. Throughout the term, our orchestra experienced world-class museums, concert halls, symphony concerts, operas, and ballets in Austria, Czechia, Germany, and Slovakia. At the end of a month of diligent practice, we performed at the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, Slovakia; the Kultur Kongress Zentrum in Eisen-
stadt, Austria; and the Musikverein— home of the Vienna Philharmonic—in Vienna. “If you will allow it, the Vienna residency can be a life-altering experience,” conductor Daniel Baldwin says. “For the last 20 years, the Vienna residency has meant an opportunity to continue my education. Every fourth January I get to live and work in one of the most beautiful, historic, musically and artistically rich, culturally and politically significant capitals of Europe. The educational value of travel cannot be overstated. I think Vienna makes me a better teacher and musician.” Classical music is ingrained in Vienna’s cultural consciousness. A fellow subway rider may carry a violin case, or a plaque may indicate an apartment where Mozart lived or a pub where Beethoven ate. Nearly anyone can attend fine classical music concerts—and they do—because some tickets are reduced in price. While I was in Vienna, I saw several operas (Tosca, Falstaff, La Traviata, and Gotterdammerung) and the ballet Sylvia staged in the State Opera House, the Staatsoper. I discovered that many virtuosic per-
formers have an educator’s heart as well; they embrace teaching and entrusting their national musical tradition to the next generation. Luther College Symphony Orchestra members spoke with worldrenowned conductors and instrumentalists after performances. The way in which the city values music resonated with and inspired members of the orchestra, many of whom will become music educators, professionals, or amateurs. Luther assistant professors of music Melanie Batoff and Philip Borter taught a course that guided students through cultural and musical differences by means of ethnographic study. At first we bemoaned our status as “silly Americans,” unable to shake the trappings of our American tourism and avoid unwanted attention. In one of the first class sessions, however, we discussed our initial struggles with adapting to the currency, grocery stores, public transportation, language, and etiquette. In groups, we explored various locations including the subway station, grocery store, and department store, took notes on common etiquette, and shared our observations with our classmates. Later, with this
heightened awareness, whenever we would bump into someone, we knew to excuse ourselves by saying, “Entschuldigung.” We would ride on the right side of escalators and walk on the left like the locals. Senior trombonist Elliot Douma says, “In Vienna, I learned about studying other cultures firsthand. The residency gave me skills to learn about other people and to adjust my own behaviors to fit in.” As soon as we began to process cultural differences as a class, we became more open to following Baldwin’s recommendation that we adjust, adapt, and accept while in Vienna. Using the metaphor of a cultural iceberg, easily observable cultural traits that lie above the surface compose only a fraction of the whole; traits under the surface provide a deep understanding of culture. With this in mind, we dove beneath the surface aspects of Viennese culture, such as food and fashion traditions, and examined its deeper facets, such as the values and attitudes of our host culture. On the tip of the cultural iceberg, food connected us to the culture of the land. We dined in the oldest restaurant in Europe, a monastery built into a mountain,
An outside view of the Hofburg Palace, where Luther students dressed to the nines and danced the famous Viennese waltz. A hall of statues depicting figures from Austrian history sits at the center of the Austrian National Library. Photo by Kathryn Wyre ’20.
Author Kari Jacobson ’21 at the Love Locks Bridge in Salzburg, Austria. Photo courtesy Kari Jacobson ’21.
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Luther students attended the annual Officer’s Ball at the Hofburg Palace, with nine separate ballrooms for dancing. Photo by Natalie Delcorps ’19.
the wine cellars of which were christened by Charlemagne in 800 A.D. Yet, the pursuit of sausages, wiener schnitzel, beef broth with pancake strips, apple strudel, Milka chocolate, Sacher torte, multivitamin juice, and fine espresso also led us from cat cafes (yes, they have cats you can pet) to bakeries to coffee houses, where we discovered community among ourselves and with the Viennese, beneath the surface. Through this unique monthlong residency I experienced complete relaxation in European spa and sauna culture; the heady fragrance of incense wafting through a cold, Gothic cathedral; the intimacy of Gustav Klimt’s Der Kuss; and the proud, measured trot of a Lipizzaner stallion at the Spanish Riding School. In the waterways of Austria and Czechia, I witnessed the waltzing current of Johann Strauss II’s not-so-blue Blue Danube and the widening of Smetana’s Moldau River below the Charles Bridge. At the Mauthausen Memorial and the Museum of Communism, I came to comprehend the dehumanizing complicity and oppression of fellow human beings, present across borders and generations. Our tour guide at Mauthausen told us that he and many Austrians today struggle to reconcile the image of their grandparents in the family album with the knowledge that they were Nazis. First-year violinist Kira Dobberman
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Luther students heard the Vienna Symphony perform at the Musikverein. Photo by Kari Jacobson ’21.
marveled at the variety of cultural artifacts that are important in Vienna, such as the buildings, the music, and the art. She says, “Vienna preserves the best of what they have, and I feel like that’s something people can do in their own lives too. It’s good to continue something that brings you joy, even if other people don’t place as much value on it anymore. For instance, the dancing and ball season is still very important in Vienna.” At the annual Officer’s Ball at the Hofburg Palace, LCSO members saw how the Viennese appreciate music through dance. As musicians, it was exhilarating for us to twirl to the rhythms and cadences of music in the Viennese waltz. After the first dance of the young officers in uniform and debutantes in floor-length, lily-white ball gowns, the announcement was made: “Alles tanzen!” and couples from all sides descended onto the dance floor for a lively Viennese waltz, accompanied by an orchestra in the balcony. There were nine separate ballrooms dedicated to dancing, each with its own genre of music. In one ballroom, a formally dressed Austrian officer sang along at the top of his lungs to “Africa” by Toto. ABBA classics provoked twirls, wrist flicks, and intricate footwork on the dance floor. By now the atmosphere buzzed with excitement, everyone chatting as they danced. The ball exemplified the immersive ex-
perience of a residency. Dancing, we were no longer passive observers of a culture, but participants, welcomed for our “international flavor” with parting gift bags full of warm, sweet bread. The residency’s high point was our performance at the golden hall of the Musikverein. I grew up watching the Vienna New Year’s Concert with the Vienna Philharmonic on television every year. To stand in that hall, not to mention to play on the stage where we attended performances by world-famous orchestras throughout the month, was intimidating yet exhilarating. The hall’s wonderful acoustics and decor augmented a glorious and transcendent performance. Having played together daily for a month, LCSO musicians—now constantly listening to and watching each other— had gained confidence and inspiration in our musical and social skills. In navigating four countries and their cities, we had developed autonomy and cultural awareness. The countless opportunities to explore sparked our imaginations and broadened the scope of our career possibilities. For instance, a former LCSO concertmaster now manages a Latvian opera singer we heard in Vienna. Most importantly, the residency heightened our desire to appreciate and create beautiful art around the world.
ALUMNI NEWS
Superpowered tattoos Carson Bruns ’08 invents “tech tattoos” that detect UV rays, take skin temperature, and conduct electricity. When Carson Bruns ’08, a Luther chemistry and religion double major, was hired to direct his own nanotechnology lab at the University of Colorado (CU) in Boulder, he embarked on a project that would not only bring together multiple fields and personal interests, but one that would also open up new possibilities for how human skin functions. A major in chemistry . . . and religion? Chemistry was Bruns’s first love—he entered Luther knowing he would major in it—but an Introduction to the Bible course his first semester really opened his mind. “I absolutely loved that class,” he says. “It was the first time I’d
ever looked at the Bible more objectively and taken a more academic approach. And with a liberal arts education,” he continues, “you have the flexibility and freedom to explore, so I thought I’d take another religion class.” This led to more religion classes, then a double major, then a formative J-term trip to study Buddhism in Japan, where he spent a month meditating in Buddhist monasteries. After he returned, he wanted to commemorate the experience, so he got . . . The tattoo that changed everything “Yep, I did that cliché thing that young people do sometimes, and I got a tattoo in a language I can’t even read,”
Bruns explained in a recent TedxMileHigh talk he gave about his research. “That trip inadvertently got me interested in tattoos,” he says. So when, after graduate school at Northwestern and a postdoctoral fellowship at UC–Berkeley, he was hired to direct the Emergent Nanomaterials Laboratory at CU Boulder’s ATLAS Institute, he was already thinking about how tattoos are made of tiny pigment particles—soot—trapped in the dermis, the layer of tissue just underneath the surface of the skin. He began to wonder: How might nanotechnology update the ancient art of tattooing? What sorts of problems could the combination of nanotechnology and tattooing solve?
Bruns and his team—which includes researchers in chemistry, physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and materials science—have started to answer these questions. They’ve been “upgrading” tattoo inks by filling tiny microcapsule particles with new materials—for example, UV-sensitive dyes that serve as real-time, naked-eye indicators of UV exposure—and using these particles in place of traditional tattoo pigments. If your sunscreen is working, the dye isn’t activated and your skin appears unaltered. But when your sunscreen starts to wear off, blue “solar freckles” appear, reminding you that it’s time to reapply. Bruns and his researchers have also developed tattoos that use heat-sensitive dyes, potentially allowing you to take your body temperature without a thermometer. And they’re working on electricityconducting tattoos that could support people with electronic biomedical implants, like pacemakers. Right now, pacemaker batteries last five or ten years before a patient needs surgery to replace an exhausted battery. Bruns imagines a future where we could recharge such batteries through patches of electricity-conducting skin. Bruns also hopes to start work on bio-detection tattoos that could solve a host of medical problems by telling us what’s going on inside our bodies—for example, by reading our blood-sugar or blood-alcohol levels. And he hopes to research tattoos that could make skin stronger, less likely to get cut or infected or to wrinkle. “In the future,” he says, “tattoos will not only be beautiful—they’ll be functional too.” —Kate Frentzel
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ALUMNI NEWS
Gaone Masire ’82 never
passes up an opportunity. It’s
From Luther to the African Union Dedication to self-improvement led Gaone Masire ’82 to international leadership.
In November, Gaone Masire ’82 visited Luther to deliver the Lucile Brickner Brown Price Lecture on women in leadership. She spoke about her long career as a leader in human resources, most recently as head of human resources for the African Union.
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a lesson she learned growing up in Botswana, where choices were few. “In Africa,” Masire says, “you don’t decide.” Rather, you take advantage of every opportunity that comes along. If you’re especially enterprising, you may end up rising higher than you ever imagined—in Masire’s case, to head of human resources for the African Union. When it was time for Masire to think about college, a family friend recommended Luther. During her first year at Luther, her father, Ketumile Masire, a leading figure in the independence movement and new government in Botswana, became the country’s second president. Although she was proud, her father’s path had little bearing on her own. “He wanted us to have our own identity,” she says. “And every time I look back, I am so grateful. Because if I hadn’t had my own identity, maybe I wouldn’t have come as as far as I have.” In finding her own path at Luther, Masire focused on management. Professor emeritus Richard Leake’s class on personnel management—in particular, his holistic approach—made an especially deep impression. “A person comes with baggage, so if you don’t care for the person as a totality, you don’t get results,” she says. “I’ve always believed in that. Human beings are complicated, so if you work in human resources, you have to understand people and the human being in its totality.” If her career track is any indication, it’s a philosophy that’s served Masire well. After earning a
master’s degree in public administration at the University of Illinois–Springfield, she returned to Botswana. She hadn’t been home a week when she got a call that the national bank, the Bank of Botswana, was in crisis—would she consider coming to help? She had been working at the Bank of Botswana for four years when she had the opportunity to serve as the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at the University of Washington– Seattle. She leapt at the chance, and she used the position to identify and fill gaps in her knowledge that would allow her to do her job better. Self-improvement has been a steadfast practice for Masire. Throughout her career, she set aside 25 percent of her earnings for capacity-building and self-improvement. “So every time there was a conference I wanted to attend,” she says, “I looked to my savings and bought a ticket to go.” In this way, she traveled from Senegal to Japan building her body of knowledge. Masire’s dedication to professional growth and her willingness to avail herself of every opportunity eventually landed her a job in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the helm of human resources for the African Union, a position from which she recently retired. While the scope of the job might sound overwhelming, Masire never doubted herself: “Self-belief is very important. If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will believe in you. I always believed in myself.” —Kate Frentzel
ALUMNI NEWS
“I’m grateful for the relationships I’m able to cultivate with landowners and contractors,” says Ellen Badger ’16, preparing to seed CRP research plots with contractor Bruce Cameron.
Collaborative conservation When Ellen Badger ’16 talks about sustainability, her primary focus isn’t plants or pollution—it’s people. “No matter what you do, if you can’t take care of the people in the equation, your initiative won’t be sustainable,” Badger asserts. “People won’t have any interest in caring for the environment if they can’t meet their basic needs.” She knows this from firsthand experience. Since May of 2017, she has worked closely with landowners and contractors on two high-impact conservation projects. During the summer she serves as a research assistant for the Wyomingbased Thunder Basin Grasslands Prairie Ecosystem Association, and for the remainder of the year she works in Fort Collins, Colo., as a project manager and research assistant working to improve the establishment of pollinator-friendly Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) mixes in the western United States.
Landowners in Wyoming formed the Thunder Basin association in 2003, says Badger, after becoming concerned about changes they were seeing in their land. Over the years, they have invited scientists from governmental and nongovernmental organizations, academia, and the private sector to conduct research aimed at protecting and conserving the lands they own. Badger’s project addresses precipitation variability by simulating extreme swings in precipitation to see how native vegetation is affected. “Our aim is to help landowners prepare for different scenarios. We don’t lecture; we collaborate. I never go into a situation and say, ‘I’m going to teach you something.’ Instead, my attitude is ‘We’re going to work on an adaptive plan together.’” Her project in Colorado is
similarly collaborative. “We’re working with landowners to establish a perennial plant cover on farmland that’s not currently in use,” she explains. The project aims to establish a natural plant community of pollinatorfriendly seed mixes with lots of flowers. It’s challenging, Badger confesses, because many of the mixes don’t do well in the arid western climates, but the work is rewarding. “I’m currently the only full-time employee on the project, so I’m responsible for field prep, planting, and data collection, and I love it. It’s great being part of a project where I can answer questions that arise from any aspect of the process.” Badger has embraced this hands-on approach since her time at Luther, where she worked at the college’s Center for Sustainable Communities for four years as well as on research projects in the Biology
Department her junior and senior years. “I was the local foods project manager under Maren (Stumme-Diers) Beard ’08 and wrote the newsletter for local CSA [community supported agriculture] members.” She also authored a newsletter for resident advisors looking to add sustainability projects to their residence halls and collaborated with the Pepperfield Project’s David Cavagnaro to create a garden guide for K–12 students. Badger was active in fieldwork as well, researching the effect of galls (the knots created by insect larvae on plant stems) on goldenrod reproductive output with associate professor of biology Beth Lynch and water quality in Dry Run Creek with biology professor Jodi EnosBerlage. “My botany and ecology classes were great prep for a career in sustainability work, and I found that I loved being outside, collecting samples and working with scientists and landowners.” An immersive, three-week college trip on the ecology of Ecuador solidified her interests. “I love doing the hands-on science, but at the end of the day, people are the most important part of the equation,” Badger concludes. “To be a good scientist, you must be compassionate as well as smart, and you have to be able to communicate your ideas clearly and respectfully. I learned that at Luther; my professors really embodied that attitude.” —Lori Ferguson LUTHER MAGAZINE
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“These things together just spark conversation. They bring feelings of togetherness, and that’s really what we’re all about.”
A space for books & brews Luther alumnae team up to bring their community a vibrant new business. It all started on the intramural fields at Luther. Two friends fulfilling a PE requirement were practicing their golf swings while volleying an idea back and forth. How great would it be, they asked, to create a business that fed their shared interest in three awesome things: good books, craft beer, and quality coffee. “We imagined this place where you could go to sip a craft beer while reading,” says Kacey Wyttenhove ’11. “Sure, you could go to a brewery, but those places are usually loud and people go there to be social.” Katie Terhune ’11 chimes in, “We wanted that coffee
shop vibe but with good beer, and we weren’t sure if it existed anywhere.” That spark of an idea was kept aglow for years, with Wyttenhove and Terhune taking turns rekindling the excitement. After they graduated, Wyttenhove majoring in communications and Terhune in education, the two moved to northeast Minneapolis together and were delighted to find a neighborhood where craft breweries, coffee shops, and independent bookstores were thriving. Terhune started working as a second-grade teacher, and Wyttenhove got a job in human resources. Whenever one of them had
a bad day at work, the other would cheer her up by playfully suggesting, “Maybe it’s time to start our business.” This went on for about five years until one fine day in 2016, when Wyttenhove and Terhune started planning in earnest. “We didn’t know where to begin. We just started researching everything, typing questions into Google,” says Wyttenhove. “There’s no one right way to do this,” says Terhune. “If we tried something and it didn’t work, we’d just try something else.” The two young entrepreneurs taught themselves what they needed to know to be successful. They attended workshops on how to start a small business, met for coffee with mentors, drafted a business plan, toured vacant retail spaces, explored loan options, and more. Their hard work began to solidify when they discovered a small building for rent on Mainstreet in Hopkins, Minn. They instantly knew it was the perfect space for their business, which by this time had a name—Cream & Amber, inspired by an Edgar Allen Poe poem. (The “cream” is a nod to coffee; the “amber” a nod to beer.) Lease secured, the space was gutted and remodeled to include handcrafted wooden bookshelves that line the walls, a bar with 10 barstools that belly up to a row of six taps
featuring local craft beers, comfy chairs that bask in sunlight streaming in from big windows, a community room for book club meetings, and a small kitchen where Wyttenhove and Terhune prepare baked goods to pair with morning coffee and sandwiches or salads to pair with an after-work pint of beer. Cream & Amber officially opened in February 2019, and locals rave that the store is just what the neighborhood needed. “We want to foster community,” Wyttenhove says. “Beer is something people can connect over. Same thing with books. These things together just spark conversation. They bring feelings of togetherness, and that’s really what we’re all about.” The two work at Cream & Amber full-time now, and take great joy in planning author readings, stocking books for their collection (which includes new and used titles), and choosing which kegs they’ll tap next. Looking back on the college experience that brought them together and led to the idea for their business, they feel a sense of accomplishment. “We became lifelong friends at Luther,” Wyttenhove says, with a smile at Terhune, “and envisioning this idea together and seeing it come to fruition has been amazing.” —Kelli Billstein ’07
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A group of D.C.-area alumni shared dinner on April 7 with Faye Lee ’20, who’s in Washington for the Lutheran College Washington Semester Program. Left to right: Dan Kuester ’84, James Feinstein ’11, Lee, and Arne Sorenson ’80.
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Luther alumni David Haas ’07 and Tyler Hagy ’13 teach high school choir in the Iowa City School District, David at Iowa City West and Tyler at Iowa City High. Their choirs participated in the Dorian Choral Invitational Festival at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Iowa City on Jan. 31, 2019. They wore their Nordic Choir gear to represent!
Andrew Stoneking ’09 (right) and Matthew Drees ’10 (left) directed the Sioux City North High School chamber choir and the Fort Dodge High School (FDHS) a cappella choir in a shared concert at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sioux City, Iowa, on April 5. Each ensemble performed a solo set and then combined with a performance of a Weston Noble favorite, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” arranged by Gilbert Martin. This concert was arranged as part of the FDHS choir’s spring tour, which also featured an April 7 performance with the Morningside College Choir under the direction of Ryan Person ’05.
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James Knutson ’13 (left) teaches special education for grades 6–8 at John Adams Middle School in Rochester, Minn. During the school’s alma mater day in March, he posed with fellow Luther grads Ian Naatz ’13, who teaches eight-grade social studies, and Megan (Anderson) Beatty ’07, who teaches sixthgrade English-language learners and coteaches social studies and language arts.
Joe Beatty ’07 and Megan (Anderson) Beatty ’07 are member mentors at Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, Minn. At their church’s new member reception, they hosted a few other Luther alumni: Sam Simataa ’13, Becca Rudquist ’14, and Elsiemae (Peterson) Anderson ’57. Megan writes: “There is a 57-year difference in our graduation years, but the same strong love for our college. It made for a great table discussion today. Interestingly, the church is also host for the classes that Luther nurses take their junior year while they are studying at Mayo!” Left to right: Simattaa, Rudquist, Anderson, and Megan and Joe Beatty.
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The class of 1978 participated in a 40year reunion bike ride during Homecoming 2018. Look at all those lovely Norse!
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Martha Gesme Nielsen ’79 put together a choir tour for Grace Lutheran Church (River Forest, Ill.) to Norway and Leipzig, Germany. They made a stop at Os Kykje outside of Bergen, where Andrew Holman ’77 is director of music. Left to right: Karen (Gesme) Brunssen ’75, Kim Brunssen ’76, Andrew Holman ’77, and Martha Gesme Nielsen ’79.
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During J-Term 2019, professor of Spanish David Thompson and professor of chemistry Olga Michels met up with Michaela Hill ’11 in Sevilla, Spain, during their course, Islamic Science in the Middle Ages across the Mediterranean. Michaela lives and works in Sevilla as the Teach in Spain coordinator for CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange). Left to right: David Michels, Michels, Hill, and Thompson.
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Lauren (Eigenfeld) Wrightsman ’93 shared this great photo exemplifying how Luther encourages international understanding and cultural exchange. Her daughter, Carolyn Wrightsman ’22 (center), brought home two friends, Juni Deshar ’22 of Nepal (left) and Nyi Myint Nora ’22 of Myanmar (right), for Thanksgiving. A day after they ate the traditional Thanksgiving fare, these two young women cooked their own traditional foods for the family to enjoy. It was delicious!
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Lisa Thimjon ’03 (left) and Anna (White) Lovely ’96 (right) were recently in Washington, D.C., with the University of Minnesota Humphrey Policy Fellows Program, one of the country’s most respected public affairs leadership experiences for emerging and mid-career professionals. The nine-month program is unmatched in its interaction with public officials, leadership training, diversity of participants and perspectives, and opportunity to undertake important projects that benefit the wider community. The program has deep roots in Minnesota’s civic community, built on core values of bipartisanship, inclusiveness, and seeking common-good solutions to public challenges.
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Three choirs of Luther alumni recently shared a concert together. Ryan Person ’05 (center) invited the high school choirs of Brett Epperson ’11 (left) and Greg Woodin ’11 (right) to join his collegiate ensemble on a tour performance stop in March in Omaha, Neb., at First Central Congregational Church. Ryan recently earned the DMA degree in choral conducting from Texas Tech University and is in his first year as director of choral activities at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. Brett is stepping down as vocal music director at East High School in Lincoln, Neb., to begin coursework toward a PhD in music education–choral conducting at Florida State University. Greg is associate choral director at Westside High School in Omaha, Neb., and hopes to begin master’slevel coursework in choral conducting at the University of Nebraska–Omaha this fall.
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Becca Buse ’19 (left) and Mareda Smith ’19 (not pictured) caught up with Ellie (Stack) Shaw ’94 (right) at the PLEN Leadership Connection Series: Women Transforming Capitol Hill and networking reception in Washington, D.C., in January. Becca completed a J-term internship with Sara (Donhowe) Goldberg ’00 (not pictured) at Humanity and Inclusion, while Mareda did an independent study on education policy in Norway and Finland.
Left to right: Erica (Svien) Swenson ’07, Danielle (Heins) Straate ’07, Rachel (Jensen) Parker ’06, Christina (Gaard) Baumgart ’07, and Anne (Straate) Wuebker ’06 took this picture at the Luther College Women’s Basketball reunion on the shores of North Carolina in July.
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On December 18, several members of the class of 1997 gathered for lunch at the Airliner in Iowa City, Iowa, to reminisce and celebrate Christmas together. Left to right: Rockne Cole, Chris Harris, Mike Poggenklass, and Kevin Roiseland. Not pictured but present in spirit was Chad Meacham.
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All of the choral directors involved in the 2019 North Iowa Cedar League Choral Festival held at Union High School on Jan. 15 were Luther alumni! Left to right: Tim Mitchell ’87, director at Union High School; Cecilia Shutt ’17, director at Gladbrook-Reinbeck High School; Casey Tecklenburg ’16, director at Hudson High School; and Jennaya (Rogers) Robison ’96, Luther associate professor of music and guest director of the Festival Choir.
Join Heritage Club and support the dreams of future Luther students! Heritage Club
Established in 1978, the Luther College Heritage Club is an association of persons with vision and inclination to continue our mission—to help students connect faith and learning, freedom with responsibility, and life’s work with service.
Honor and Appreciate
The Heritage Club was created to honor the generosity of people who have established a planned gift for Luther. When you join Heritage Club, we can get to know you better, show our appreciation for your gift, and make sure it is used in the way you intend. If you have not yet included Luther College in your estate plans—or not yet notified us of your plans—we invite you to join this association and affirm the dreams of future Luther students.
Heritage Club To learn more
or to join Heritage Club, contact Kelly Sorenson, legacy and gift planning officer, at 800.225.8664, kelly.sorenson@luther.edu, or visit legacygiving. luther.edu.
Membership in the Heritage Club is available for anyone making a planned gift, no matter the size. Three benefits of telling us about your planned gift: 1. We can follow your wishes, since we know what they are. 2. We can honor you with membership in the Heritage Club. 3. Even anonymously, you set an example for others to follow.
ALUMNI NEWS
CLASS NOTES By Rachel Schunder ’20 Recreation summer program for 51 years and is a member of the following halls of fame: Neenah Joint School District, Wisconsin High School Tennis Coaches Association, Fox Valley Tennis, Luther College, and Austin (Minn.) High School.
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Eugene Nordby of Madison, Wis., was featured in the Wisconsin State Journal in December. The article, “Older than the Packers and Still Living the Good Life after More than 100 Years,” highlights Eugene’s life growing up in a small Wisconsin town, serving his country during World War II, embarking on an innovative and distinguished medical career, and enjoying a marriage of nearly 73 years with the late Olive Jensen Nordby. Eugene was recognized for his military service during a Green Bay Packers game last season. Today he enjoys baking krumkake, listening to John Grisham books on his iPad, and staying active by walking and playing pool. He turned 101 in April 2018.
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Lee Afdahl has been director of music and organist at First Presbyterian Church of Rochester, Minn., since 1991. He is frequently a conductor and clinician for handbell conferences, choral workshops, and church music conferences internationally, including in England, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. He is an active organ recitalist and published composer and arranger of handbell, instrumental, and choral music, with over 70 compositions and arrangements in print.
Dave Triebes retired after 15 years as CEO of Samaritan Albany (Ore.) General Hospital.
system’s ability to maintain a steady and adequate supply of critical medicines and supplies worldwide.
Joyce (Hildenbrand) Turnbull gave a TEDx talk in October titled “Japanese American Experience: Kindness Overcomes Discrimination,” in which she spoke about racial discrimination against immigrants. Joyce’s mother was sent to Heart Mountain Internment Camp during WWII. Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, as a Japanese American in the 1950s and ’60s, Joyce also experienced racial discrimination. Her mission is to spread understanding through compassion and acceptance.
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Steven Berry retired after more than 30 years as medical director at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. Jim Bies of Sioux Falls, S.D., retired after 33 years as Augustana University’s vice president for student affairs and dean of students.
Paula (Hermeier) Meyer was named a co-chair of the 2020 Delaney for President Campaign in Iowa.
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Steven Fink was inducted into the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame during the IHSBCA Clinic at the Marriott Hotel in Cedar Rapids in January. Steven pitched at Luther from 1974 to 1977 and still holds the career strikeout record with 269. His 19-14 career ranks fourth for career wins and includes a third-best 22 complete games. He also still ranks fifth among Luther pitchers all-time with his 2.74 ERA and 34 games started. Since Luther, Steven has coached high school baseball and taught physical education in Iowa. Carrie (Aalrust) Marion is director of quality and community outreach at Prestige Health Choice in Tallahassee, Fla.
Gary Knutson of Chatham, Ill., retired from Guardian Building Products. Robert Schultz and Binh Danh launched a Kickstarter campaign with the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Va., to publish War Memoranda: Photography, Walt Whitman, and Memorials. The art book memorializes the U.S. Civil War in a new way, employing photography, poetry, essays, and the fruitful example of Walt Whitman.
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Jean (Cooper) Weymiller celebrated her 65-year wedding anniversary with Franklin “Doc” Weymiller on December 27, 2018. The couple’s life together was featured in the Waukon Standard’s Wedding Guide 2019.
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Helen (Hagen) Hanson of Monona, Iowa, is retired.
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Trina (Smith) Dobberstein of Berea, Ohio, has served Baldwin Wallace University as vice president of student affairs and dean of students since 2005. She was honored with a 2019 Pillars of the Profession Award by NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. The award is designed to honor sustained professional distinction and significant lifetime contributions to the higher education field. Trina was recognized at NASPA’s March 2019 Annual Conference in Los Angeles. Marilyn Draheim of Stockton, Calif., retired from the School of Education at the University of the Pacific.
’63
Tom Berven retired from coaching the Neenah (Wis.) High School varsity boys’ tennis team after 48 years, and last September, Neenah High School named its tennis courts in his honor. In addition to coaching, Tom has run the Neenah Parks and
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SPRING 2019
’73
Kathryn Bohstedt is an education consultant at West Music Company in Coralville, Iowa. She was honored with the Florida Music Education Association’s 2019 Distinguished Service Award.
’75
Denice Hoggatt of San Antonio, Texas, retired after 35 years from onsite customer service globally with Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
’78
Jan (Bakker) Knutson was featured in the GazetteXtra’s “20Q: Catching up with Janesville Parker Choral Director Jan Knutson.” The 20Q Interview Series introduces readers to people involved in the area’s arts and entertainment community and provides insight on that person’s artistic interest and unique personality.
Ann Leon of Madison, Wis., is retired.
Michael Osterholm is Regents Professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He will co-lead a $5.4 million research project that focuses on supply chains and global disruptions for the most critical drugs for life-saving and life-sustaining treatments. Outcomes of this research will improve the health care supply
John Linnell was featured in the Rural Monitor’s article “Understanding the Many Roles of COPD Foundation State Captains: Q&A with John Linnell.” Ever since he was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2005, John has been passionate about spreading disease awareness. In addition to his volunteer work as a COPD Foundation Wisconsin state captain, he serves on the U.S. COPD Coalition Board of
ALUMNI NEWS Directors, the COPD Patient Powered Research Network Governing Board, and the executive board of trustees for EFFORTS, an international patient-based, patient-driven coalition for those with respiratory diseases. He also assists with COPD research efforts at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Illinois–Chicago, along with serving on the Department of Defense scientific peer-review panel for respiratory health research. He is on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health– National Occupation Research Agenda’s council for research and recommendations. He lives in rural Viroqua, Wis., and is a member of the local health system’s Patient and Family Advisory Council.
Conservation District Employee Award at the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts’ annual convention. She was cited for her oversight and coordination of the Root River Watershed One Plan in partnership with five other water conservation districts and for her work as chair of the regional Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota (BALMM). In 2014, she helped to form the Friends of the Root River, a nonprofit group composed of citizens who work to take care of the waterway. Donna accepted the award from John Jaschke, executive director of the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (pictured).
Cecelia (Nybro) Manlove of Louisville, Ky., retired as a health insurance executive. She is active with her church and local nonprofit organizations.
’80 Paul Pribbenow is president of Augsburg University in Minneapolis. He was named Outstanding Fundraising Professional by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). He received the award at AFP’s International Fundraising Conference in San Antonio, Texas, in April. Pribbenow was cited for helping to triple Augsburg’s annual fundraising from $10.5 million in his first year to almost $35 million ten years later, and for transforming the culture of philanthropy at the university. Cathy (Hemmy) Sherfield of Butternut, Wis., is retired.
’79
Greg Carrier is customer care advisor II at ACT in Iowa City, Iowa. Barbara (Vaske) Norland is president at BKVN Consulting in Homestead, Fla.
Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International, has been chosen by his CEO peers as Chief Executive magazine’s 2019 CEO of the Year. Arne will receive his award at a dinner gala in his honor on July 25 at Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City. Mark Werning is vice president of customer experience at Landjet in Davenport, Iowa.
Jim Whitesell of Synder, N.Y., was inducted into the Lewis University (Romeoville, Ill.) Hall of Fame. Whitesell led Lewis’s men’s basketball team for 12 seasons, guiding them to 10 winning seasons, eight seasons with at least 18 wins, four seasons of 20 wins or more, and five trips to the NCAA Tournament. His best season came in 2001–2, when he led the Flyers to 25 wins, matching the school record set by the 1985–86 team. Whitesell’s 214 wins and his .629 winning percentage rank third all-time in Lewis history. Whitesell just completed his fourth season as associate head coach for the State University of New York at Buffalo men’s basketball team, helping the Bulls to their third NCAA tournament appearance in four seasons. He was named head coach in April.
Rick Grothaus is director of education systems in the Germantown (Wis.) School District. Curt Tryggestad is executive director for the Perpich Center for Arts Education, the dedicated state agency supporting arts education for Minnesota. Their mission is to provide all Minnesota students the opportunity to develop, enhance, and integrate their artistic and academic abilities to their highest potential. Curt was recently appointed to Arts Schools Network (ASN) Board of Directors, a diverse group of arts leaders from across the country committed to the mission of providing leaders in art schools with quality resources, support, and networking opportunities. Karen DeBauche teaches band at Urbana (Ill.) Middle School. She was named the 2018 Middle School Teacher of the Year for the Champaign-Urbana Area by Napleton Toyota of Urbana. Last fall, she was also one of five national finalists for the Dr. William P. Foster Initiative,
Craig Gahnz-Kuhar is assistant choir director and vocal coach at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, Calif. Chris Storlie was named chief executive officer of Deco Products Company in Decorah.
Brian Beatty is director of business development at RACOM Corporation in Des Moines, Iowa.
Kristi Doden is a self-employed communications coach and TRE provider in Santa Rosa, Calif.
’81
Brett Corson retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel from the Army Reserve after 30 years. As a reservist, he served as both a combat engineer and, after earning a law degree, in the Judge Advocate Unit at Fort Snelling. Corson was commissioned as an officer in 1991 and was deployed twice: in Afghanistan in 2003–4 and in Iraq in 2007–08. He was awarded the Bronze Star for exceptional service in combat and serves as Fillmore County attorney in Preston, Minn.
’83
Paul Cleven is a laboratory specialist at Energizer Holdings in Madison, Wis.
’82 Donna (Peterson) Rasmussen is soil and water conservation district administrator for Fillmore County, Minn. She received the 2018 Outstanding Soil and Water
which recognizes quality programs serving historically disadvantaged student populations.
Paul Tweed of Fall Creek, Wis., is a teacher and director at the Wildlands School. He also manufactures retro guitar amplifiers in his basement. His hand-wired Tweed amp, available on reverb.com, is a clone of the revered Leo Fender 1950s 5f2a Princeton amplifier, mimicking the sound quality of the rare and sought-after amplifier.
’84
Eric Bunge stepped down as managing director of Northern Stage in White River Junction, Vt., and continues to lead special projects and act as a resource for the staff and board. Eric took the position in 2013, and under his leadership, the theatre built and opened the Barrette Center for the Arts in 2015. Prior to leading the Northern Stage, he founded the Commonweal Theatre Company in Lanesboro, Minn., and was managing director for 23 years. He was also managing director at the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, Minn., when he was recruited to Northern Stage.
Pat (Haugen) Wright is creative director for Pat Wright Creative and founder of Hello Cookie, an online source for fresh-baked cookies delivered to businesses across the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
’85
Kevin Dotseth is a system architect for John Deere Financial in Johnston, Iowa.
’86
Cayleen (Sternhagen) Garigliano teaches English at Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne, N.J. Jamie Skjeveland is superintendent for the Crosby-Ironton (Minn.) School District.
’87
Kristi Elliott is a staff physician at the VA Brainerd (Minn.) Community Based Outreach Clinic and the women’s health medical director for the St. Cloud (Minn.) VA Health System. Scott Kauls of North Oaks, Minn., was named one of Forbes’ 2019 Bestin-State Wealth Advisors.
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ALUMNI NEWS
’96
Susan (Krueger) Souhrada is site director at Clover Woods Camp and Retreat Center in Madrid, Iowa.
Heather (Hendrickson) Allyn is director of compliance and innovation at Grandma’s Place in Brooklyn Park, Minn.
’88
Darrel Gerber is technical manager at Common Securitization Solutions in Bethesda, Md. Jamie (Boyer) Gurholt is executive assistant to the vice president of development and alumni relations at Beloit (Wis.) College. Marco Raniolo is a shipping executive at Emirates Shipping Line in Hong Kong.
’89
Eric Carlson is lead pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Clive, Iowa. Paul Reimann is retail store manager for J&P Cycles in Anamosa, Iowa.
’90
Kristin Evenrud is frontend manager at Oneota Community Food Co-Op in Decorah. Teresa Grettenberg is a marketing specialist for Fannie Mae in Washington, D.C. James Heaton is associate professor of surgery at MGH Center for Laryngeal Surgery in Boston.
’91
Dean Southern has been appointed the Dorothy P. Schmitt Chair in Opera, serving as director of opera and artistic director of opera theatre at Cleveland Institute of Music.
Lonnie Morken was named Minnesota Volleyball Coaches’ Association Class A Coach of the Year. With an overall record of 679-130, Lonnie is one of only 12 coaches in state history to notch more than 600 career wins. Lonnie is athletic director, health and physical education teacher, and girls’ volleyball coach at Mabel-Canton (Minn.) High School.
Anjela Shutts, an attorney at Whitfield & Eddy Law and vice chair of the Iowa Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission, is running for vice president of the Iowa State Bar Association. She is a well-known advocate for access to justice in family law and has been working to make it possible for Iowans to more easily navigate their justice system. She volunteers to represent clients for free through the Polk County (Iowa) Volunteer Lawyer’s Project and sits on the advisory board of Kids First, a nonprofit that provides lawyers in divorce and custody cases to advocate for the child’s best interest. Rhonda (Bublitz) Williams is finance manager at the State of Minnesota Judicial Branch in St. Paul.
’94
Andrea (Hanson) Carter lives in La Quinta, Calif., and recently celebrated 10 years of owning and operating her own marketing and PR firm, Andrea Carter & Associates. She is also the PR director for the Patrick Warburton Celebrity Golf Tournament and All-Star Rock Jam Session benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Stephanie Agresta is SVP of client service and business development at DiGennaro Communications in New York City. Kate (Spencer) Klimesh was named administrator at the Riceville (Iowa) Family Care and Therapy Center.
’93
Jenny (Stigers) Bosking is director of development with AbbeHealth and St. Luke’s Foundation in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Paul Melin is principal cloud platform specialist, analytics at Oracle in the greater Minneapolis–St. Paul area.
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SPRING 2019
Tim Knutson is director of planned giving at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis.
’95
Nicole (Forde) Delorme is an ASD teacher at Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minn. Shannon (Miller) Duval is senior vice president of philanthropy with CommonSpirit Health in Denver. Sharie (Ellis) Thoelke is operations office manager at Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minn. Christa (Gutenberger) Tollefson is assistant library director at DeForest (Wis.) Area Public Library.
April (Johnson) Remfrey is founder and special education consultant at Remfrey Educational Consulting in Bulach, Switzerland.
’99
Rachel (Knutson) Dahl was named partner at Hellmuth & Johnson in Minneapolis.
Steve Olson is senior network engineer at Paumen Computer Services in Buffalo, Minn.
Dongi (Holz) Huss is area manager at Arbonne International in Farmington, Minn.
’92
Milt Hendrickson was named director of football operations for the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wis.
Emily (Helin) Olson of St. Paul, Minn., is lead equipper at E412 Consulting.
Erin Kruger Feddersen of Urbandale, Iowa, is an interior designer with Happe Home. Matias Nengola of Windhoek, Nambia, is retired.
Sarah (Voorhees) Hershberger is pastor of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Shamokin, Pa. Erin (Blagsvedt) Jorgensen is director of publishing and managing editor of Rental Management Magazine, the official publication of the American Rental Association in Moline, Ill.
’00
Jason Soland is a trust officer at Decorah Bank & Trust in Decorah. Cassidy (Johnson) Steiner is a teaching assistant at the Blake School in Hopkins, Minn.
’01
Anessa (Dawley) Cummings is a security analyst at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
’97
Affiong Ekpo-Davids is a human resources officer at West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management in Lagos, Nigeria.
Lea (Donhowe) Lovelace is director of folk art education at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah.
Katie Prochaska of Decorah was elected vice chairperson of the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Winneshiek County Extension Council.
Valerie (Yelton) Baul is a driver’s license examiner for the Kansas Department of Revenue in Topeka.
Ross Lund is CEO at ProEx Food Processing and Packaging Solutions in Chicago. Jennifer (Nelson) Manternach is audit principal at Crosslin in Nashville, Tenn. Eric Strelow of Tulsa, Okla., earned a Bible school diploma in divinity/ ministry from Rhema Bible Training College and a master’s degree in theology/theological studies from Southwestern Christian University. He is an adjunct instructor at Rhema Bible Training College and bid administrator at Ford Audio-Video.
Erica (Rach) Winters teaches music at Meadowview Elementary School in Farmington, Minn. She was recently named teacher of the year for the Farmington School District.
’02
Brian Borcherding is an IT systems officer at First National Bank in Hampton, Iowa. Libby Caulum is director of marketing and public affairs at MNsure in St. Paul, Minn.
Josh White is chief medical officer at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, Vt.
Nicole Deaderick earned a master’s degree in public administration, criminal justice/law enforcement administration from Golden Gate University and currently works as a Prison Rape Elimination Act administrator for Bernalillo County in Albuquerque, N.M.
’98
Dane Lundahl is vice president of business development at Auction Harmony in Harmony, Minn.
Amy (Shuck) Thompson is director of adult and family services at Olmsted County Social Services in Rochester, Minn.
Arika (Anderson) Alana is brand manager of engagement and retention at Kids in Need Foundation in Roseville, Minn.
ALUMNI NEWS Ghion Roache of Nassau, Bahamas, works at the National Insurance Board of the Bahamas.
’03
Angela Brasell of Minneapolis is a self-employed artist and an administrative assistant, reservationist, and manager at Meritage Restaurant in St. Paul, Minn. She earned a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Capella University. Tim Dahlby is a self-employed artist and restaurant manager at Mary’s Lake Lodge in Fort Collins, Colo. Derek Distin is service director for the Custom Cloud Division of Right Networks in Alpharetta, Ga. Drew Dittmer is commercial division manager and estimator at Select Painting in Sioux Falls, S.D. Stacey (Loseke) Jurgensen is a supervisor at CHI Health in Omaha, Neb. Quraish Khumri is head of cybersecurity for Kabam in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Eli Pedelty is founder of 123Ads in the Nantes area of France. Samantha Pfalzgraf is pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Erie, Pa. Branden Scott is principal archaeologist at Impact7G in Des Moines, Iowa. Matt Steffen is an agent at House of Insurance Agency in Le Center, Minn. Melissa Stull is a partner at Soule & Stull in Minneapolis. Jason Trost is a virtual learning deployment specialist at Ernst & Young in Minneapolis. Melissa (Darrington) Wicklund of Decorah is an instructional designer at AEA Learning Online.
’04
Ryan Goessl was honored by the mayor of Seoul, South Korea, as this year’s Honorary Citizen of Seoul for his work in the fields of music and culture. This honor is bestowed upon non-Koreans residing in Korea who have made major contributions to the city. Past honorary citizens have included actor Jackie Chan and NFL star Hines Ward. Ryan is executive director for Camarata Music. Steve Gritton is an instructional designer and eLearning specialist at HighJump in Minneapolis.
Tenzing Lahdon is senior technical assistance specialist at American University and program manager at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
Alex Nugent is a software engineer at Daugherty Business Solutions in Bloomington, Minn.
Kristine (Erickson) Noland of Minneapolis is a project manager at Ecolab. Monica (Winkel) Rogers is lead administrative assistant at Aegon Asset Management in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
’05
Kweku Bankah is director of risk consulting at KPMG in Minneapolis.
Andrew Stenson played the lead role, Fadinard, in Minnesota Opera’s production of The Italian Straw Hat.
Jessica (Kruse) Cummings is a special education teacher at HowardWinneshiek (Iowa) Community Schools.
Laura (Schuurman) Rasmussen teaches upper elementary and is the upper elementary academic leader at Inner Sydney(Australia) Montessori School.
’09
Irene (ErkenBrack) Green is managing director at Northern Stage in White River Junction, Vt.
Tim Yourison is the football defensive coordinator for Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn.
Kaitlyn Hanson is a registered nurse at Sentara Healthcare in Norfolk, Va.
Ivan Grgic is owner and manager at AG Systems Duo in Pancevo, Serbia.
’07
Aaron Hagenson is a software engineer at C.H. Robinson in Eden Prairie, Minn. Clare Holland is an app systems engineer at Wells Fargo in West Des Moines, Iowa. Lindsay Kimball is assistant program director for the Current and interim director of membership at Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul.
Amy (Hillesland) Chatfield is founder and designer at Silkebana and a retail associate at the Rustic Corner in Charles City, Iowa. Theresa (Thompson) Jones is a certified pharmacy technician at Walmart in Boscobel, Wis. Michael “Coz” Lindsay is a communications associate for Ramsey County in St. Paul, Minn.
T.C. Mack is interim director of counseling and wellness at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa.
Ryan Person earned a doctor of musical arts degree in choral conducting from Texas Tech University. He is director of choral activities and assistant professor of music at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. In January, he was the guest director of the 9–12th grade honor choir at the Northwest Iowa Choral Directors Association. Katie (Bolin) and Adam Ranes ’04 work in the Des Moines, Iowa, area. She is an attorney, mediator, and owner at Ranes Law Firm. He is a client advisor and client executive at ReSource Pro.
’06
Alexis (House) Berhow is a health information specialist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Denne Brodbeck is a junior high classroom facilitator at Crossroads Academy in Decorah. Courtney Kupfer is admissions coordinator at Adler Graduate School in Hopkins, Minn. Elizabeth Matzen is a user experience researcher at Google in San Francisco.
Ashley Johnson is a vice president and wealth planner at Wells Fargo Wealth Management in Minneapolis. Liz (Leicht) Mason earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota. She is a Title IX and EO investigator at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. Beth Nimmo is an IT analyst at NovuHealth in Minneapolis. Matt Orth is a customer solutions analyst for Nestlé in Cleveland. Cody Webb earned an MBA degree from Western Governors University. He is EHS manager with Stanley Engineered Fastening in Decorah.
Ginny King is a substance abuse counselor at Preferred Family Healthcare in Hannibal, Mo.
Scott Meyer is executive director of entrepreneurship initiatives at North Dakota State University in Fargo.
BreAnn (VanDeer) Drees is a full-time teacher and athletic trainer for the Fort Dodge (Iowa) Community School District.
Mandy (Wubben) Weister is assistant director of career education and early outreach at Minnesota State University in Mankato. Emma (Peterson) Lutzke received a 2019 Caring for Kids Award through the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Emma works in the Treatment Foster Care Program for the Lutheran Social Services office in Eau Claire, Wis. Award selection criteria included years of service and experience, adapting to new initiatives, advocacy, leadership, and a proven record of ensuring the well-being of children and families. Sarah (Quick) Olejniczak is vice president for student affairs at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee. Julia Zaffarano is housing portfolio manager at the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Division of Housing, in Denver.
’08
David Kinz is a physical therapist at Kaiser Permanente in Denver. Jackie Lentz is product operations manager at Thycotic in Washington, D.C.
’10
Susie Clark is digital marketing manager at Quality Bicycle Products in Bloomington, Minn. Kirstin Manges earned a PhD from the University of Iowa College of Nursing and is a National Clinician Scholar postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania College of Nursing in Philadelphia. Ben Schott is a critical care paramedic at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Ill. Michael Switzer earned an MBA degree from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. He is a financial analyst at 3M in Woodbury, Minn.
’11
Steven Andrukaitis is social service coordinator at Minnesota Adult and Team Challenge in Minneapolis. Rachel Barclay works in fundraising at the Salzburg Global Seminar in Washington, D.C. Jordan Grimm of Iowa City, Iowa, was named one of the Corridor Business Journal’s 2018 Forty Under 40. Honorees are selected
LUTHER MAGAZINE
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ALUMNI NEWS for the meaningful contributions they’ve made to their business and communities in their still-young careers. Jordan earned an MBA degree from the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business and is continuous improvement specialist with Van Meter.
Emily Tinjum is a registered nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Fairview Health Services in Minneapolis.
Taylor Bremer is an occupational therapist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Anna Burke earned a master’s degree, with distinction, in human rights and international politics from the University of Glasgow and is pursuing a juris doctor degree at the University of Iowa College of Law in Iowa City.
Elisa Vazquez is senior marketing manager at Kellytoy in Los Angeles.
’13
Joel Anderson is an implementation consultant at Fast Enterprises in Englewood, Colo. Ben Kerns works in operations at Trellis in Norcross, Ga. Matt Lind earned a juris doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School. He is an associate in the intellectual property practice of Paul Hastings in Chicago. Ufra Mir is founding executive director and peace psychologist at her own NGO, Paigam: A Message for Peace in the United States and Kashmir. She gave a TEDx talk, “The Conflict of War and Peace,” that stemmed from her focus in the field of peace psychology and explored how to better solve conflict with peace. Christopher Nevala-Plagemann of Salt Lake City is a medical doctor and resident in internal medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He won the 2018 American College of Physicians (ACP) Utah chapter poster competition presenting the case “IgG kappa Multiple Myeloma presenting as Hyperviscosity Syndrome” and will join other leaders to present at the 2019 ACP National Meeting in Philadelphia. Alex Redding is property asset manager at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in West Des Moines, Iowa. Alana (Humpal) Whiteley is senior technical recruiter at Robert Half Technology in Minneapolis. Rachel (Albert) Yim is a research project manager at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Heidi (Kistenmacher) Lindstad is a physician’s assistant at the Iowa Clinic in Des Moines. Kelsey (Moler) Pavlidis is a school-based mental health therapist for SummitStone Health Partners in Fort Collins, Colo. Justin Ratzlaff is vice president of business development at SkyRide Technology in St. Bonifacius, Minn. Jessica Ruth is a licensed associate marriage and family therapist at University of Minnesota Physicians in Minneapolis. Samantha Shimak is property manager at Accesso Services in Minneapolis. Carl Sorenson is a PC technician at Ecolab in Eagan, Minn., and an audio engineer at Minnehaha Recording Company.
’14
Benjamin Davidson is a positive behavior intervention and support paraprofessional for the St. Paul (Minn.) Public Schools.
’12
Jolene De Souza earned a master’s degree in human resources management and services from St. Mary’s University. She is supervisor at Patina Stores and staffing coordinator at Excel Staffing in Minneapolis.
David Kort is the floorcoverings department manager at Menards in Green Bay, Wis.
Peter Ecklund of Minneapolis is an archive cataloger for Minnesota Public Radio and a sales mercenary for Lagunitas Brewing Company.
Bailey (Cahlander) Aaland is a marketing specialist for Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul.
Chelsea (Lynch) Larson is associate director of development at Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, Calif.
Paul Esker is a juris doctor candidate at the University of Iowa College of Law in Iowa City. Logan Hjerleid teaches first grade at Harlan Elementary School in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Katie Krasky is a chartered financial analyst and an associate at Goldman Sachs in New York City. Rachel (Selvig) Lundeen is a media planner at Marketing Architects in Minneapolis.
Nickolas Sanches is a development officer at Minnesota Opera in Minneapolis.
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SPRING 2019
Kimberly Osberg is a composer in Dallas, Texas. Inspired by a hiking misadventure, Kimberly composed “Rocky Summer,” a world premiere piece the Dallas Chamber Symphony performed on March 23 at the Moody Performance Hall in the Dallas Arts District. Lora (Arens) and Isaac Skelton are owners of Not Your Mama’s Photography in Brownsdale, Minn. Derek Sturtevant is choir director at Charles City (Iowa) High School. Ben Wegner is director of vocal music at St. Edmond Catholic School in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Donald Wolfgram is a human resources assistant at Associa: Desert Resort Management in Palm Desert, Calif.
’15
Tiffany Ackerman earned a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is personnel director at Aase Haugen Senior Services in Decorah. Kalle Akkerman is choir director at Austin (Minn.) High School. Caitlin Almer teaches second grade for the Littleton (Colo.) Public Schools. Cale Austin is equity plan administrator at United Fire Group in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Taylor Baloga of St. Paul, Minn., earned a master’s degree in music therapy from Augsburg College. Carl Bates is a logger for American Radio Works at American Public Media Group in St. Paul, Minn. Mullen (Wacker) Beisker of Waukon, Iowa, is owner and leader at Agnes & Dora by Mullen. Emily Betts is senior manager of operations at Waxing the City in Woodbury, Minn. Audrey Bird is director of planning and special project marketing at Gingrich Productions in Arlington, Va. Sadie Botine is a youth development outreach volunteer for the Peace Corps in Swaziland. Thomas Bottem is an audio specialist at Midwest Energy Association in Eagan, Minn. Sarah Brandt of St. Paul, Minn., is executive assistant at Salem Media Group and front of house manager at Artistry.
Ryan Castelaz is a barista at Discourse: A Liquid Workshop coffee shop in Sister Bay, Wis. Mariana Corpus is a registered nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Kyrie Dailey is clinical research coordinator at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Denver. Isaac Davis is software developer team lead at Epic in Verona, Wis. Courtnee DeMuth earned a master’s degree in school counseling from the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Adriana DePaolis of Excelsior, Minn., is a human resources generalist at Honeywell. Katherine Dick is assistant county attorney at the Linn County Attorney’s Office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jessica Dorsey is director of annual giving and events at Depaul USA in Chicago. Renae Eddy of Hopkins, Minn., is an ecommerce analyst at Lifetouch Portrait Studios. Erik Ehresmann is a business operations analyst for Epicor Software Corporation in Minneapolis. Emily England is a curator for the Swedish American Museum in Chicago. Kaitlyn Fillmore is project coordinator, client services at Pearson Education in Iowa City, Iowa. Alexandra Fitschen is a MackinMaker specialist at Mackin Educational Resources in Burnsville, Minn. Sarah Fox is a prepared-foods cook at the Wedge Community Coop in Minneapolis. Caleb Freund is an installation specialist at Custom Builders of Tipton (Iowa). Emily Hagen is director of social services at Good Samaritan Society– Comforcare in Austin, Minn. Katie Hale of Minneapolis is production editor at Red Line Editorial. Emily Hasher is assistant project manager at Snap Install in St. Paul, Minn. Dylan Hinton is a special education paraprofessional for the Bloomington (Minn.) Public Schools. Katherine Huska is project manager at Trillium Works! in Duluth, Minn.
ALUMNI NEWS Phillip Johnson of Cambridge, Wis., earned a master’s degree in healthcare administration from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. He is an administrative fellow for Mercyhealth Wisconsin and Illinois.
Hannah Bernatz is sales lead for Decorah’s Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. in Boston. Rhianna (MacDonald) Freiburger is head athletic trainer at Salt River High School in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Henry Jungbauer is a sales associate at Morrie’s Automotive Group in St. Paul, Minn. Bailey Kampa is a sales support specialist at Securian Financial Group in St. Paul, Minn. Hanna Knutson is marketing manager at Colored Organics in Minneapolis. Alexandra Lohrbach earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota and is program associate with Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative for the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore. Kurayi Mahachi earned a master’s degree in public health and is a doctoral student in epidemiology at the University of Iowa. Sarah Simons is a registered nurse at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Rachel Skinner is marketing manager at Academic Programs International in Austin, Texas. Rachel Skolaski is an optometry intern at Atwater Eye Care Center in Bloomington, Minn.
Sarah Grabe earned a master’s degree in public health from San Diego State University. Lindsay Getschel participated in an open debate held by the United Nations Security Council that addressed the impacts of climaterelated disasters on international peace and security. The debate took place Jan. 25, 2019, and included more than 70 countries. It was the fourth debate the Security Council has held on the topic since 2007 and the first time a young briefer was invited to speak at the Security Council on the issue of climate change and international security. Lindsay earned a master’s degree in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science and works as a research assistant for the environmental security program at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C. Maya Hansen teaches fourth grade at Monroe Elementary School in Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Lydon Smit of Johannesburg, South Africa, is dean of students at Sagan Centre and director of Educlined and Educlined Junior.
Kristy Housholder earned a master’s degree in occupational therapy from the Medical University of South Carolina and is an occupational therapist at ChildServe in Johnston, Iowa.
Robert Starr is technical account coordinator at Epsilon in Westminster, Colo.
Anna Johnson is visitor experience and events manager at the Rochester (Minn.) Art Center.
Maria Thompson is a client service associate at New Heights Solutions.
Margaret Kienitz is grants manager at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid in Minneapolis.
Alison Vuolo is general music and choir instructor at Upper Mississippi Academy in St. Paul, Minn. Casey Waterman is business development manager at Spring Grove (Minn.) Soda Pop. Nicole Wink is bookkeeper/inside sales at Spahn & Rose Lumber Company in Monticello, Iowa. Lindsey (Bjorge) Winrick is a post-market surveillance analyst at Abbott in St. Paul, Minn. Dylan Winston is a technician at Affordable Electrical Repair in Crown Point, Ind. Sofi (Kragness) Wyers is talent partner I at CorTalent in Minneapolis.
’16
Michael Bruins is program coordinator at College Possible in Portland, Ore.
Nadia Onsando of Nairobi, Kenya, is an immigration specialist at One Acre Fund. Erik Queoff is an exercise lab technician at Marquette University in Milwaukee. Claire Seitzinger earned a master’s degree in chemistry and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota. Daniel Stover is a third-year medical school student at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
’17
Shelby (Gebhardt) Ballard is a charge medical technologist at UnityPoint Health–St. Luke’s in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Leah Barkema teaches eighthgrade science at Miller Middle School in Marshalltown, Iowa. She is also head coach of the Miller swim team and assistant coach of the Marshalltown High School swim teams. Meghan Barker is the Alaska organizer at Trout Unlimited in Anchorage, Alaska.
Emily Holm is project manager at Bluedoor Publishing in Minnetonka, Minn. Catherine Karsell is clinical program assistant at Fraser in Minneapolis.
BIRTHS AND ADOPTIONS
’01 Betsy (Scheurer)
and Jeff Anderson, a son, George Allen, June 2018
Laura (Riordan) and Gianfranco Berardi, a son, Dominic, born March 2009, adopted Nov. 2018, and a daughter, Dontae, born April 2011, adopted Nov. 2018
Affiong (Ekpo) and Abasiono Davids, a daughter, Eden SenoAbasi, Feb. 2018
Kyle Knoke of St. Louis Park, Minn., is a healthcare IT consultant for Nordic Consulting Partners.
Meredith (Miller) and Dana
Ellen Larsen is executive director at the Volunteer Network on Aging in Galesburg, Ill., and is a guest vocal soloist with the Knox-Galesburg Symphony.
’02
Gideon Matchey is band and orchestra director at Hill-Murray School in Maplewood, Minn. Stephanie Murray teaches eighthgrade English for the Waseca (Minn.) School District. Veronica Seher is clinical research coordinator at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Rosen Slavov is solutions manager for the Energy Management Collaborative in Plymouth, Minn. Brynne Stellner teaches English language arts at Northfield (Minn.) High School.
’18
Bridget Becker is a registered nurse at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Eli Bowe is a volunteer with AmeriCorps in Bozeman, Mont. As part of his project, he’s developed a podcast for the city of Bozeman. The podcast can be found by searching “micromegas” on any podcast platform. Katie Hendrickson is special events coordinator for church partnerships and philanthropy at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota.
Tenneson, a daughter, Liesl Grace, March 2018 Nikki and Allan Huls, a daughter, Haley, Dec. 2018
’03
Amber and Bronson Power, a son, Camdyn Michael, Feb. 2018
Gwen (Lykken) and Adam Strand ’04, a son, Henry John, Jan. 2019
’05 Steph (Bohmer)
and
John Fretham ’06, a daughter, Lucia, Dec. 2018 Ana and Ivan Grgic, a daughter, Marta, Dec. 2018
Ann (Lund) and Tim Martin, twin sons, Anders John and Arlo Dale, July 2018
Joelle (Schuman) and Jared Nielsen, twins, a daughter, Mia, and a son, Kai, Oct. 2017
Ellie (Valeta) and Nick Wiltgen, a son, Parker Allen, Oct. 2018
’07
Amy and Ray Bissen, a daughter, Lauren, Aug. 2018
Jessica (Meyerholz) and Anthony Smith, a son, Kyle, April 2018
Claire (Barvir) and Matt Tschann, a son, Axel Anthony, June 2018
Timothy Radermacher teaches band and directs the program for fifth graders through high school seniors at St. Albert Catholic Schools in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Anna Ryden is a naturalist fellow at Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul, Minn. Mitchell Van Epps is project manager at Epic Systems in Verona, Wis.
Anna (Dyrud) and Todd Wedekind, a son, Soren James, Aug. 2018
’08 Beth (Goskesen)
and Kendall Christensen, daughters, Lauren Renae, March 2018, and Alaina Jane, Feb. 2019
LUTHER MAGAZINE
43
ALUMNI NEWS BIRTHS AND ADOPTIONS
MARRIAGES
Kelly (Moeller) and Ross Hauschild,
Camille (Stenhaug) and Sean
a son, Jameson Mitchell, Dec. 2018
McVenes, a son, Evan Raymond, Sep. 2018
Amanda (Van Wechel) and Matt Long, a daughter, Ellie Mae, June 2018
Laura (Souba) and Garett McKiness, a daughter, Leanna Jade,
Leah (Jensen) and Mike Switzer ’10, a daughter, Caroline Rose, Jan. 2018
Nov. 2018
Becky (Stiger) and Kyle Williams, a
Lee Franson and Corey Wilson, June 23, 2018 Nikki Hitesman and Denne Brodbeck ’05, June 30, 2018
son, Conner, July 2018 Deanna and Nathanial Youngquist, a daughter, Maggie Grace, June 2018
’06 Katie Brandt and Nicholas Conner, Oct. 13, 2018
Lindsay Stolen and David Brennan, June 23, 2018
’09 Emily (Walk)
and Brett Harris, a daughter, Olivia Margaret, Nov. 2018
Stefanie (Boren) and Steve Kaylor, a daughter, Lilith Noel, March 2018
Julia (Jenkins) and Joe Olynyk ’10, a daughter, Dottie Rose, April 2018
Jenny (Reiman) and Andrew Savitski, a daughter, Olivia May, June 2017
’12 Lindsey (Getchell)
and
Andrew Kraabel ’11, a son, Anders Marshall, Aug. 2018
Stephanie (Drewes) and Jim Penning ’13, a daughter, Hazel Olivia, March 2019
Jodi and Cody Webb, sons, Walden, April 2017, and Duke, Feb. 2019
’13 Kristina (Nienhaus)
’10 Kate (Haller)
Emma (Hellmann) and Tommy
and Jon Ailabouni, a son, Simon, Dec. 2018
and Tim Mansheim, a son, Damien Joseph, Oct. 2018 McCormac, a son, Theo, Sep. 2018
Maggie (Fons) and Jason Britton, a son, Ira, Feb. 2019
Kelsey (Mans) and Michael Crusinberry, a daughter, Mari Elise,
’07 Theresa Thompson and Kraig Jones, May 26, 2018 ’08 Paula Hardie and Kenny Neuzil, Oct. 27, 2018 ’09 Laura Bandfield and Nick McGrath, Nov. 10, 2018 Kelly Gaul and Josef Wolf, Oct. 13, 2018 Ellen Miller and David Sellers, Nov. 3, 2018
’11 Rachel Barclay and Paul Jones, Sep. 2, 2018
Tracy Heetland and Steven Szul, Oct. 6, 2018 Alana Humpal and Harry Whiteley, Nov. 4, 2017
’12 Amy Behrman and Scott Stafford, July 21, 2018
Hannah Grundhoefer and Matt Engelson ’13, Sep. 29, 2018 David Kort and Lacey Statezny, Oct. 6, 2018 Chelsea Lynch and Karl Larson ’09, April 21, 2018 Andrea Sturdevant and Brandon Lyle, May 5, 2018
’13 Bekah Campbell and Andy St. Martin, Dec. 13, 2017
July 2017
Emma Hellmann and Tommy McCormac, Feb. 17, 2018 Erika Lord and Christopher Stola, April 14, 2018 Courtney O’Hara and Christopher Garza, Oct. 14, 2017 Shantel Schwarting and Bongani Maseko ’16, Dec. 5, 2018 Ashley Wright and Kevin Shannon, Dec. 8, 2018
Colby (Engel) and Jeff Supernaw, a son, Dean William, May 2018
’15 Alli (Kephart)
and
Andrew Tjossem ’13, a son, Brittany (Buczek) and Nathan Todd ’09, a son, Leyton, August 2018
’90 Sara White and Chris Wasley, July 21, 2018 ’99 Erin Kruger and Paul Feddersen, Sept. 29, 2018 ’02 Jeff Julson and Sarah Wright, Oct. 31, 2018 ’04 Kristine Erickson and Brock Noland, Dec. 31, 2018
Henrik Philip, Nov. 2018
’14 Alyssa Buhr and Nicholas George, Sep. 8, 2018
Jake Everts and Bri Pruisner, May 19, 2018 Logan Hjerleid and David Wall, Dec. 15, 2018 Clara Lind and Zach Aschim, Sep. 15, 2018 Katrina Okerstrom and Andrew Jezewski, Aug. 4, 2018 Emily Rauch and Jon Lang ’13, Aug. 5, 2017 Rachel Selvig and Wade Lundeen, Jan. 12, 2019 Maria Streyle and David Freitag, Oct. 6, 2018
’15 Shelby Babcock and Drew Shuster, Aug. 11, 2018
’11 Allison (Moen)
and Wes Gregg ’10, a son, William Luther, Oct. 2018
Kelsey (Balk) and Jordan Grimm, a son, Odin, April 2017
’16 Sydney (Gehrt)
and Alex Hain ’15, a daughter, Autumn May, Oct. 2018
Anna Johnson and Jeremy Olson, a daughter, Elliotte, Aug. 2018
Dani Basche and Ryan Readinger, Sep. 8, 2018 Danielle Border and Shane McKim, July 28, 2018 Rachel Brummond and Gage Dykema, Jan. 7, 2017 Devon Hovey and Cole Puffer, Sep. 29, 2018 Paige Johnson and Charles Martin-Stanley ’14, July 29, 2018 Sofi Kragness and Nick Wyers, Oct. 6, 2018 Elizabeth Reed and Nathan Wiese, June 30, 2018 Katelyn Wagner and Dan Gibson, Sep. 23, 2017
’16 Jenna Dengler and Jonathan Opdahl ’17, Dec. 23, 2018 Maggie Helms and Matt Knutson ’15, Aug. 4, 2018 Anna Jeide and Nathan Detweiler, Aug. 25, 2018 Bre Pierce and Cole Hocker ’15, Aug. 18, 2018
’17 Alex Dana and Ryan Ehrhardt, Dec. 30, 2017
Megan Geyer and Grant Diedrich, Oct. 6, 2018 Rhianna MacDonald and Casey Freiburger, Sep. 29, 2018
44
SPRING 2019
ALUMNI NEWS IN MEMORIAM Notices as of April 1, 2019. Obituaries are posted at luther.edu/in-memoriam.
’39 Thelma O. (Stoen) Ellingson
’58 Wayne Dotzenrod
of
’44 Lilamae (Nasby) Dahn Iverson
of
Kasson, Minn., died Feb. 20, 2019, age 96.
Warren Zimmerman of Rochester, Minn., died Jan. 3, 2019, age 96.
’46 Ellen (Hanson) Lindop
of Lemon Grove,
Calif., died Dec. 22, 2018, age 94.
’47 Evelyn Ruth Bentley
of Milford, Iowa, died
Nov. 15, 2018, age 82.
Decorah died March 13, 2019, age 97.
of Ames, Iowa, died
Nov. 20, 2018, age 91.
Neb., died Sep. 27, 2018, age 80.
’75 Steve Earlen Arneson
’59 H. Richard Mullen
Christopher Jon Rummé of Asheville, N.C., died
Sharon Lou (Waugthal) Rhynalds of Oxford,
of Stoughton, Wis.,
died Jan. 14, 2019, age 81.
’60 Robert Roble
May 26, 2018, age 65.
of Sioux Falls, S.D., died
Dec. 30, 2018, age 82.
’61 LaVonne Marie (Anderson) Hawkins of Rochester, Minn., died Dec. 14, 2018, age 79.
Verdie Leroy Ellingson of Moorhead, Minn.,
1, 2019, age 93.
’52 Joyce Margaret (Uren) Brennan Lansing, Iowa, died Oct. 7, 2018, age 88.
Erno Joyce Dahl of San Antonio, Texas, died March 12, 2019, age 90.
Sheldon Hermanson of Glenwood Springs, Colo., died March 19, 2019, age 88.
Charles E. Olson of Sun Lakes, Ariz., died Oct. 26, 2018, age 90.
’53 Carol (Thompson) Johnsrud
of Bellingham, Wash., died
Oct. 9, 2018.
of West Palm Beach, Fla., died Feb. 23, 2018, age 77.
Kirsten Ann “Kit” Hansen of Madison, Wis., died Jan. 12, 2019, age 77.
David A. Roalstad of Glendale, Ariz., died Oct. 27, of
2017, age 76. March 18, 2019, age 78.
Dec. 12, 2018, age 87.
’54 George Frederick Feuerhelm
’65 Mary Margaret Niebuhr
of Arlington,
Va., died Oct. 15, 2018, age 75.
Lea, Minn., died Feb. 4, 2019, age 86.
’55 Nancee Joy (Larson) Andresen
’67 Robert Craig Melcher
of West Des Moines, Iowa, died March 7, 2019, age 74. of Grove City,
’70 Elizabeth Susan Atherton
of Renner,
Mary E. (Wilkens) Jensen of College Place, Nancy Elaine (Wade) Lerner of Cross Plains,
Albert Lea, Minn., died Jan. 12, 2019, age 82.
Wis., died June 27, 2018, age 68.
’57 Irene Ann (Holtze) Knutson
’72 Barbara “Barb” Lee (Kleene) Babine
of
Minneapolis died Jan. 15, 2019.
D. Terry Woodford Jr. of Appleton, Wis., died Dec. 13, 2018, age 85.
Dalen P. Wanless of Waukon, Iowa, formerly of Hesper, Iowa, died Jan. 8, 2019, age 64.
’82 Catherine M. (Knudsen) Eisert
of
Oregon, Wis., died May 22, 2017, age 56.
’85 Paul J. Moore
of Lincoln, Neb., died Dec.
4, 2018, age 56.
’87 Lisa Michele (Anderson) Norgard
of
’88 Linda S. (Joy) Schmidt
of Geneseo, Ill.,
’90 Troy Daniel Zars
of Columbia, Mo., died
’91 Lynne Allison (Meyer) Elliott
of McFarland, Wis., died Dec. 23, 2018, age 49.
’93 Simeon Garrison
of Albany, N.Y., died
Aug. 26, 2018, age 57.
Wash., died, Jan. 8, 2019, age 70. of
Iowa, died Jan. 10, 2019, age 69.
Dec. 27, 2018, age 51.
S.D., died Dec. 7, 2018, age 71. of Albert
Michael G. Spangenberg of Council Bluffs,
died Dec. 10, 2018, age 52.
Minn., died March 1, 2019, age 72.
Joyce (Sorlien) Larsen of Winterset, Iowa, died
of Waukon, Iowa,
Hagerstown, Md., died Feb. 18, 2019, age 53.
Denis Craig Wemark of Ridgeway, Iowa, died
’68 Douglas J. Torgerson
of
Neenah, Wis., died April 12, 2017, age 85.
’76 James “Jim” P. Rixen died Dec. 3, 2018, age 64.
’63 Frances Ann (Joerg) Blum-McCarthy
Norman V. Overland of Rushford, Minn., died Jan.
of Spillville, Iowa,
died March 26, 2019, age 65.
’62 Gary Kessler
died Nov. 5, 2018, age 94.
of The
Villages, Fla., died Dec. 26, 2018, age 66.
’50 Lila Racelia (Fingerson) Eickhoff
of Rochester, Minn., formerly of Wykoff, Minn., died Jan. 11, 2019, age 88.
’74 Ellen Jean Skatrud-Mickelson
’98 Steven Michael Shank
of Rochester, Minn., formerly of Iowa City, Iowa, died Feb. 4, 2019, age 43.
’00 Adam W. Kiracofe
of Foxboro, Mass.,
died Nov. 9, 2018, age 40.
of New Hope, Minn., died Nov. 1, 2018, age 68.
Michael Charles Devenish of Palm Springs, Calif., previously of Sun Prairie, Wis., died Jan. 28, 2019, age 69.
John Whitham of Corpus Christi, Texas, died Oct. 8, 2018, age 67.
LUTHER MAGAZINE
45
President’s Council
T
hroughout my years as president, the Luther community has continued to inspire me. This is a vibrant community of learners—students, faculty, and staff actively engaged in an education that opens unlimited possibilities. Many of these learning opportunities wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of Luther’s steadfast donors and volunteers, who are vital and enthusiastic members of the Luther family. Each spring, the college recognizes the charitable giving of our President’s Council donors. This esteemed group includes alumni, parents, regents, faculty/ staff, friends, and foundations. In 2019, we joyfully welcome a notable list of new Life Members and celebrate their extraordinary commitment to Luther. These donors have contributed cumulative outright gifts of $100,000 or more. As philanthropic role models, these donors and their collective generosity are an inspiration to the next generation of Luther supporters. Please join me in thanking all members of the President’s Council for supporting the people, programs, and priorities on our campus. Together we ensure that Luther College will continue to be a place where students prepare for a lifetime of impact. Soli Deo Gloria!
2019 List of New Life Members (based on CY giving in 2018)
Ann Bolinger Glenn and Carole Bolles Elizabeth Fiskerbeck Bruening ’58 Jane Kemp Michael ’78 and Amy (Kiesler) Kust ’78 Curtis ’60 and Ann (Knutson) Rotto ’61 Corey ’98 and Tonya (Schwers) Schmidt ’97 Judith (Johnson) ’88 and Paul Vijums Christina (Vignec) Winch ’63 Rolf Wulfsberg ’69 Estate of Mary Niebuhr ’65
Paula J. Carlson President
A full listing of the 2019 membership, based on 2018 calendar year giving, is available on Luther’s website at luther.edu/magazine.
46
SPRING 2019
PR ESIDENT’S COUNCIL
When my late husband, Don, and I came to Luther in 1978, we quickly became convinced of the advantages of a small liberal arts college. Teaching was obviously a first concern for Luther, and excellence in the classroom an expectation for faculty. Whether teaching in the social work program or the library or Paideia, we could see the difference Luther made for undergraduates, especially when compared to our own experiences at large state universities. Supporting Luther students with our donations each year, and through scholarships and endowed funds, became a top priority for us.
—Jane Kemp
AARON LURTH ’08
We choose to give back because Luther has given so much to us and to our family. Our connections to Luther and the Decorah area run deep because we found friends for life and a community that still feels like home. Our experiences at Luther shaped our lives immeasurably, and we feel very fortunate to be able to pay it forward. Since graduating (many moons ago), we’ve always included Luther in our annual giving because we want to open doors for future students to experience the value of a Luther education. We believe that having the ability to support Luther, and helping others in the process, is a privilege.
—Mike ’78 and Amy (Kiesler) Kust ’78
LUTHER MAGAZINE
47
COLLECTIONS
LADY LIBERTY
After Anthropology Lab work-study student Meta Miller ’21 was asked to organize Luther’s Numismatics Collection, she did the collection one better: she found ways to get these rare coins out of storage so that students and others could learn from them. Miller’s work with the coins coincided with a need to fill display cabinets in Koren, so she tapped into the collection to develop a fascinating exhibit that explores the history of Liberty as a feminized concept on American coins and currency. “From a historical perspective,” Miller says, “the founders really liked Greece and Rome, and the goddess of freedom and liberty in those cultures was a woman. I think they were trying to base the new country off of something that had worked in the past.” Miller, a history major and museum studies minor, put the collection to even more use by creating a teaching kit that U.S. history
48
SPRING 2019
faculty can check out to augment classroom learning with historical artifacts. To create the kit, Miller consulted current syllabi and compared specific teaching units to Luther’s holdings. “We’re always trying to get our collections into more classes,” she explains. Miller hopes to work as a curator or collections manager in museums someday. Before then, she’ll spend this summer as an interpreter in period clothing at Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa. Then it’s on to the Lutheran College Washington Semester in the fall, during which she hopes to intern at the Smithsonian. Check out a digital version of Miller’s display at lczine.com/LadyLiberty.
C A LENDA R
Luther Commencement Sunday, May 26 Luther College
Norse Athletic Association Benefit Golf Tournament Monday, June 3 Oneota Golf and Country Club Decorah, Iowa
Culinary School for Alumni, Parents, and Friends
SHERRY ALCOCK ’82
Friday, June 14– Sunday, June 16 Luther College
Twin Cities Area NAA Benefit Golf Tournament Friday, June 21 Willingers Golf Club Northfield, Minnesota
Chicago Cubs Pre-game Picnic and Post-game Gathering Saturday, June 22 Chicago, Illinois
Dorian Choral Retreat for Alumni, Parents, and Friends Friday, June 28– Sunday, June 30 Luther College
Des Moines Metro Norse Classic Golf Outing Wednesday, July 10 Tournament Club of Iowa Polk City, Iowa
Reunion of Champions: Men’s Track and Field Teams, 1957–86 Friday, July 12– Saturday, July 13 Luther College
President Paula J. Carlson and Kent Finanger ’54, professor emeritus of health and physical education, share a cart during the 14th Annual Kent Finanger ’54 Golf Classic at the Tuscany Falls Golf Course in Goodyear, Arizona, in March.
Photography School for Alumni, Parents, and Friends
Friends of Luther College Wrestling Golf Tournament
Ireland and Northern Ireland Alumni and Friends Tour
Friday, July 12– Sunday, July 14 Luther College
Friday, August 9 Jackson Heights Golf Club Jackson Junction, Iowa
Culinary School for Alumni, Parents, and Friends
Football vs. Whittier College Pre-game Gathering for Alumni, Parents, and Friends
Tuesday, October 8– Saturday, October 19 Hosted by Paul Gardner, professor emeritus of political science, and Rebecca Wiese
Friday, July 12– Sunday, July 14 Luther College
Luther Comes to the Heartland Picnic Sunday, July 21 Heartland Park Park Rapids, Minnesota
Iowa State Fair Booth Thursday, August 8– Sunday, August 18 Iowa State Fair Des Moines, Iowa
Saturday, September 7 Whittier, California
Family Weekend Friday, September 20– Sunday, September 22 Luther College
Homecoming Friday, October 4– Sunday, October 6 Luther College
Homecoming in Chicago Reception for Alumni, Parents, and Friends Sunday, October 27 Meg’s Café Glencoe, Illinois
Inauguration of Dr. Jenifer K. Ward, Luther’s 11th President Friday, November 1– Saturday, November 2 Luther College
Christmas at Luther Thursday, December 5–Sunday, December 8 Luther College
Luther alumni events are open to all alumni and friends of the college, including parents and other family members of graduates and students. Please note that some dates listed are tentative; specific information about upcoming events will be mailed or emailed to alumni, friends, and parents who live near the event sites. If you need more information or if you’re interested in planning an event in your area, call the Alumni Office at (800) 225-8664. We’d love to hear from you!
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID BOLINGBROOK,IL PERMIT NO. 467
NONPROFITORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID BOLINGBROOK,IL PERMIT NO. 467
Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045
You’re invited to Homecoming 2019! October 4–6
luther.edu/homecoming AARON LURTH ’08