The Augustana: Spring 2016

VOLUME 6 • ISSUE 2

The THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI, PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF AUGUSTANA UNIVERSITY

DEFENDERS Spring 2016

VIEW FROM SUMMIT AVENUE

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n this issue, you’ll read about Augustana alumni who are “defenders” of various kinds – dedicated public servants, passionate advocates, innovative community-builders, and compassionate legal professionals. As you’ll see in the following pages, the thread weaving the stories of these individuals together is that each had the opportunity to learn under our own Dr. Peter Schotten, Augustana’s longtime professor of government and international affairs.

Following with the theme of this issue, I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage each of you to be a defender as well – a defender of the liberal arts.

If you’ve been following the news lately, you’ve likely noticed a growing number of voices that call into question the value of a liberal arts education.

In many cases, these sentiments are fueled by elected officials who have advocated state funding for students who choose to pursue more “jobfriendly” majors. In our home state, students can receive significant scholarships through the Build Dakota Scholarship Fund when they pursue technology programs in areas such as transportation, welding and manufacturing, heating and cooling, and machinery, along with other high-need fields.

You, too, have likely noticed that STEM – an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics – now appears frequently in everyday conversations.

There’s no disputing the fact that, as a society, we need skilled workers. But, I worry that perhaps we’re allowing the pendulum to swing too far.

In the midst of public debate like this, I’m often asked, “Where does Augustana University fit in?” How does a 156-year-old institution rooted in the Lutheran church whose cornerstone is built upon the liberal arts continue to provide a valuable and relevant education in a world where society’s expectations of higher education are changing at warp speed?

I enjoy answering this kind of question because I believe we are one of a number of higher education institutions in the U.S. today who are doing it right, thanks to the power of STEAM – that’s the acronym we prefer – it stands for science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. We assert that STEAM is much more powerful than only STEM in creating the future for our world.

Here’s how we’re addressing the changing landscape of higher education: First, we’ve continued to stay true to our mission: Inspired by Lutheran scholarly tradition and the liberal arts, Augustana provides an education of enduring worth that challenges the intellect, fosters integrity and integrates faith

with learning and service in a diverse world.

Next, with our mission as our compass, we’ve developed a strategic plan through which we’ve introduced exciting new programs, centers and initiatives. These endeavors are allowing us to build and develop even more local, national, and global partnerships, enabling our students to gain invaluable hands-on, practical experience that prepares them to be even more effective in their chosen pursuits.

Finally, we’ve taken bold steps to better help our students discover where their passions and talents intersect. Through the help of our new First Year Experience program and our new core curriculum, our students will discover not only what they want to do in life, but also, and perhaps more importantly, what kind of life they want to live in response to the needs of the world around them.

Our curriculum includes a broad collection of core courses that stretch across each of our academic divisions.

Here, students have the opportunity to explore religion, languages, history, wellness, science, art, and more. In doing so, they build a foundation of knowledge and develop key 21st century skills, such as the ability to think critically, communicate effectively, analyze and draw conclusions, and act with global awareness.

If you’ve ever wondered about the true value of a liberal arts education, Dr. Schotten says it best: “The liberal arts ask students to consider timeless questions – they’re appropriate in today’s world, and they’ll be appropriate in tomorrow’s world. Those questions have to do with: What makes life worth living? What kind of ethical responsibilities do I have?

How do I understand beauty and the natural world? What does it mean to be a thoughtful human being?”

Shouldn’t all young people have the opportunity to ponder such important questions, while also learning the skills they’ll need to build successful careers?

At Augustana, we certainly believe so.

I’m proud to say that here, we’re focused on much more than just job friendly majors.

At Augustana, we’re working every day to help produce job friendly graduates – thoughtful, curious, knowledgeable and articulate men and woman who can be successful in virtually any field because of what they’ve learned here.

Clearly the marketplace values this approach, affirmed by our recently-announced 98 percent success in career outcomes for our most recent graduates.

I hope you’ll join me in defending the importance of the liberal arts within higher education today.

Yours, for Augustana,

Rob Oliver President

CONTENTS

THE AUGUSTANA The Augustana is published three times per year for alumni, parents and friends of Augustana University by the Office of Advancement.

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

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

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Editor: Kelly Sprecher, Communications Co-Editor: Kaia Chambers, Communications Class Notes: Carolyn Cordie, Mary Toso ‘90 Contributors: Rob Oliver, President Bob Preloger, Vice President for Advancement Katie Foutz ‘00, Communications Tim Evans, Sports Information

OUR MISSION Inspired by Lutheran scholarly tradition and the liberal arts, Augustana provides an education of enduring worth that challenges the intellect, fosters integrity and integrates faith with learning and service in a diverse world.

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

OUR VISION

FEATURES 4. The Schotten File Lawyers, public servants, teachers and advocates around the world count Dr. Peter Schotten, professor of government and international affairs, as a treasured teacher, advisor, mentor and friend. He looks back on more than four decades of teaching at Augustana.

10. A Voice to Serve Meet Navy JAG Officer Jen Buyske ‘07.

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

18. The Advocate Scott Peters ‘77 reflects on his 30-year career in law, his work as a mental health advocate, and his time at Augustana.

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

28. Defenders of the Court Men’s basketball wins its first NCAA DII National Championship in program history.

CONNECT WITH US!

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

ON THE COVER: Before being crowned national champs, the Vikings celebrated their NSIC conference championship win. Photo by Michael Brown.

© Augustana University 2016

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#AugieAbroad This January during J-Term, 137 Augustana University students experienced classrooms without borders as they spent the month studying the histories, economies, languages and cultures of countries around the globe.

Senior Sarah Byre at the Baan Chang Elephant Park as part of the J-Term course “The Political Economy of Thailand.�

Augustana students in Greece in January 2016.

Flying high with AU student Rachel Stratton in Salzburg, Austria.

On location for the J-Term course “Music and Theatre in Eastern Europe: Understanding Historical Perspectives and Igniting Passion.�

AU student Brooke Christenson overlooks Barcelona during J-Term 2016.

Dr. Peter Schotten in class, circa 1980s.

THE SCHOTTEN FILE Lawyers, public servants, teachers and advocates around the world count Dr. Peter Schotten, professor of government and international affairs, as a treasured teacher, advisor, mentor and friend.

He looks back on more than four decades of teaching at Augustana.

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hen Dr. Peter Schotten arrived at Augustana in 1974, he didn’t quite know what to think.

He’d never been to South Dakota before. Or Minnesota. Or Iowa. Or Nebraska. Or anywhere in the Midwest for that matter.

He’d grown up in Seattle, attended graduate school in southern California, and had just come from teaching part-time in Long Beach.

He’d spent his life in large cities where the pace was fast, faces were nameless, cultural opportunities abounded, and living was sometimes cutthroat. At his old apartment in Los Angeles County, he remembers “everybody getting robbed at least once.”

Here, he woke up one winter morning to find a neighbor shoveling his front walk. He shopped for groceries at the Piggly Wiggly, ate at restaurants that featured “country cooking,” and found that everyone knew everyone. “Or, they were related to someone you knew. Or, they’d gone hunting with someone who was related to someone you knew.”

California offered comfortable temperatures and ocean views.

Here, he realized early in his first winter that “if I left my office without a jacket on, I could freeze to death halfway between the old social science building and the Commons.”

For Schotten – who is known as much for his quick wit and sense of humor as for his longstanding professorship and scholarly work – Augustana and the Midwest took some getting used to.

But today, more than four decades after his arrival, it’s safe to say he’s found his home.

“I came not knowing how long I’d stay and, I’ve ended up staying a very long time,” he said.

Before Augustana As a kid, Schotten says he was “pretty serious.”

The only son of two refugees (his father emigrated from Austria and his mother fled Germany in 1940), he was forced to grow up quickly after his father died when Schotten was just 14.

“In high school, I ended up having to support myself. Except for debate, I wasn’t involved in very many activities,” he said.

When it came time for college, “I was pretty much on my own.

So I had to more or less figure out my own life. But, there was no question about going. Sure, there were some financial issues.

But, it was a prerequisite for anything I wanted to do in life,” he said. “Plus, I thought school was marvelous. Why wouldn’t one [want to continue on in school]?”

As an undergraduate, Schotten attended the University of Washington where he majored in political science, an area he was drawn to because “these were the questions that I wanted to understand better that puzzled me. The way to understand things better is either to listen to people who’ve studied much more than you have or to read books.”

During his senior year, he considered pursuing law school, but, after thinking it through, decided teaching “might well be more rewarding in many ways.”

He earned a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship, along with other honors, and went on to earn his Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California.

He taught part time at a couple schools along the West Coast before arriving at Augustana in 1974.

“As I taught a bit, I concluded that I really liked that a great deal. That wasn’t the initial draw. But, I’d observed several very good teachers and I thought that with some training I could be competent at it and, in time, I grew to like it a great deal. The profession involves reading and teaching and seeking answers 6

to questions I found intriguing. And, people were going to pay me for that? It was wonderful.

“It’s almost a racket,” he said, laughing.

Reflecting on Four Decades at Augustana Thinking back on his early days at Augustana, Schotten smiles.

“I was a city guy. I grew up in Seattle. I never was near a farm.

I have no capacity to fix anything. The most frightening three words in the English language for me are ‘some assembly required.’ Then I came here. This was the smallest place I ever lived.

But, for many of my students, this was the largest place they had ever lived,” he said.

“I had to re-think about how to teach. I couldn’t teach the same way here that I could in California. I had to use different examples. Living was different. The weather was different.”

With time, Schotten found the right balance. As he looks back now, he calls his career gratifying.

“It’s a little bit of a con game, really. We get really good kids here – students with good work ethic, good self-discipline, a good sense of how to work hard. But, they’re not always aware of everything they can become.

“And, I get to contribute a bit – not very much; they do most of the work themselves. Sometimes with goading and sometimes with encouragement and sometimes with a little bit of fear – but they do it themselves. [As professors, we become] a kind of gateway to a different world. Sometimes that works – and when it works, it’s very heartening.”

In the classroom, Schotten teaches courses in constitutional law and political philosophy. Over more than 40 years of teaching, he said some things have changed, while others have remained the same.

“How we communicate has changed. How we study has changed. How we access information has changed. Culture has also changed somewhat,” he said. “On the other hand, some questions never change, such as: What does it mean to live a good life? What’s the relationship of political order to justice?

What does the rule of law mean? Why is it important to be a thoughtful well-informed citizen?

Some things are eternal and some things are variable,” he said.

Jo Marie Alexander ’79, an attorney in Minneapolis, had Schotten as a professor and advisor during her time at Augustana. She counts him among her most influential professors.

“In class, he was amazing. You could not, not pay attention in his class. When he used the Socratic Method in his constitutional law class, each and every student could be in the hot seat at any time. He taught attorneys to think like attorneys. He just kept you on your toes at all times,” Alexander said.

Beyond the classroom, Schotten continues to pursue his longtime fascination with the U.S. Constitution, which fuels both his scholarly research and his teaching. “[I became really interested in the Constitution] the first time I realized it wasn’t just a random collection of provisions, but that it was informed by a political vision and an understanding of human nature – that it represented an elegant solution to the problem of democratic politics,” he said. “I decided that was worth learning about. It’s something I started as an undergraduate and continued into graduate school and continued as I’ve been teaching.”

Schotten’s research led him to co-author introductions to the nation’s leading textbooks on politics and also serve as co-author of “Religion, Politics and the Law” and “Understanding Politics: Ideas, Institutions, and Issues.” His latest research includes a chapter on Justice Joseph Story in “History of American Political Thought,” edited by Bryan-Paul Frost and Jeffrey Sikkenga.

In recognition of his contributions in and outside the class-

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“...some questions never change, such as: What does it mean to live a good life? What’s the relationship of political order to justice? What does the rule of law mean? Why is it important to be a thoughtful, well-informed citizen?”

— Dr. Peter Schotten

Professor of Government & International Affairs room, Schotten has earned numerous awards during his tenure at Augustana. He has held the Stanley Olson Chair of Moral Values, the Orin M. Lofthus Distinguished Professorship, and the Frederick Kohlmeyer Distinguished Teaching Professorship. He has also been awarded the Burlington Northern Excellence in Teaching Award and the Vernon and Mildred Niebuhr Faculty Excellence Award.

For Schotten, it’s humbling to be recognized by an institution he holds in high regard.

“Augustana is a place that takes education and careers seriously. It doesn’t sacrifice one for the other. It’s concerned about students’ intellectual development; about moral and ethical questions; and about what’s important to think about as a person acquiring knowledge – but not to the exclusion of careers and professions and the practical stuff,” he said.

Schotten said Augustana’s foundation in the liberal arts is among the reasons why it stands out from other universities.

“The liberal arts ask students to consider timeless questions

– they’re appropriate in today’s world, they were appropriate in yesterday’s world, and they’ll be appropriate in tomorrow’s world. Those questions have to do with: What makes life worth living? What kind of ethical responsibilities do I have? How do I understand beauty and the natural world? What does it mean to be a thoughtful human being? The liberal arts are timeless in that respect.”

In the government and international affairs department today, Schotten says he enjoys being in good company. His fellow faculty members in the department are Professor and Chair Dr. Joseph Dondelinger, Associate Professor Dr. Joel Johnson, and Assistant Professor Dr. Emily Wanless.

“I’m struck by the classy colleagues I have – the good people who work here. They’re genuinely wonderful human beings. We have a wonderful department. They’re first-rate individuals. I couldn’t imagine having better colleagues. They’re easy to work with, well-informed and thoughtful. It’s wonderful to come to work everyday.”

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Advising Pre-Law Students In addition to serving as professor, Schotten has also served as chair of the department and chair of the Social Sciences Division. Upon arriving at Augustana in 1974, he became Augustana’s pre-law advisor, a post he continues to hold today.

On advising pre-law students, Schotten has made some observations over the years.

“People think they want to go to law school for good and bad reasons. A good reason is: I know what lawyers do and I want to be one. A bad reason is: my relationship just ended; I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life; I think I’ll go to law school.”

As an advisor, Schotten said he works hard to be straightforward with students because some don’t always know what going to law school means, what being a lawyer will entail, or what financing a law school education requires.

“It’s a profession that gets romanticized. It’s also a profession that if you do any kind of litigation or adversarial work, will require a certain mental toughness,” he said. “So there’s a psychological match between wanting to go to law school and wanting to be an attorney, and that can be challenging to explain.”

“For me, a lot of pre-law advising is talking about law school, but also talking about alternate careers. And there are a number of careers that students who are pre-law don’t always think about. What we want to do is give them as much evidence as possible as to what law school is like and what their career will

“I’ve just felt extraordinarily fortunate for doing what I want to do.”

— Dr. Peter Schotten Reflecting on more than four decades at Augustana

be like so they can make an intelligent decision.”

To that end, Schotten says even though he’s the pre-law advisor, law school often isn’t his primary focus when advising students.

“I generally talk about careers – I don’t lead with law school.

It has to be up to them. What we’re doing [as advisors] often is about being a good guesser.”

Being a good guesser comes from asking good questions – a skill at which Alexander said Schotten excels.

“It was so obvious from being around him how much he cared about the students he taught. He was genuinely interested in students – not just academically, but for who they were as people. He was incredibly concerned and passionate about students,” Alexander said. “Beyond that, he gave fabulous advice.

He was able to give great advice because he asked great questions and listened really well. He listened for what students were passionate about. I always got the impression he knew me better than I knew myself.”

Tricia Halling ’98 is the assistant general counsel at the New York City Housing Development Corporation and a graduate of the New York University School of Law and the University of Edinburgh. Schotten was her pre-law advisor at Augustana.

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“I very quickly had the feeling that he wanted to get to know me before he gave me advice. He wanted to take the time to know my goals and interests and where my talents were,” Halling said. “Beyond that, he had a really good understanding of me, so his advice about which schools to apply to was really focused.”

Schotten’s impact as a teacher and advisor extends far and wide. In 2006, a number of his former students led an effort to establish an endowed scholarship in his name.

Today, the Dr. Peter Schotten Scholarship for Government and International Affairs has received gifts of nearly $100,000.

“The scholarship was just exceptional. That was a complete shock and was just remarkable. I was quite taken aback. And I’m not even dead yet,” Schotten said, laughing. “Really, it was just a remarkable act of kindness and generosity.”

This year, Schotten will turn 70 but he remains as passionate as ever about teaching.

“I’ve just felt extraordinarily fortunate for doing what I want to do. I have freedom to do that. I’m surrounded by good and serious people who are kind and thoughtful. For the most part, I have students who want to learn. I have colleagues who uphold academic standards. I’m just very fortunate because I was able to do what I wanted to do – what I thought was important to do.

It’s a blessing. It sounds a bit sentimental, but it’s true.”

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NOTES FROM THE GREEN

Following Scalia’s Death, AU Officials Cancel Spring Boe Forum Following the news of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death in February, Augustana University officials announced that the Boe Forum on Public Affairs, originally planned for Wednesday, March 9, had been canceled.

Justice Scalia was to have been the featured speaker at the 20th Boe Forum for a discussion on “Whether the U.S. Constitution is a Living Document.”

More than 3,000 free tickets had been reserved for the Boe Forum, sponsored by the Center for Western Studies.

“Since its inception in 1995, the Boe Forum on Public Affairs has sought to provide access to individuals who can address events, issues, or problems of worldwide or national concern and of broad public interest,” said Dr. Harry Thompson, executive director of the Center for Western Studies. “Justice Scalia was, without question, such an individual.”

Dr. Peter Schotten, professor of government and international affairs/political science, teaches courses in constitutional law and political philosophy at Augustana and also serves as the University’s pre-law advisor. He shared his thoughts on Scalia’s legacy: “Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia led at least three legal lives: as a rigorous law professor, as a careful scholar of the law, and as an eminent jurist. He was equally at home on the bench and behind a college or university lectern. Taken as a whole, his legal writings and opinions attempted to reconcile two ideas that do not always travel well together: democratic self-government and the rule of law,” Schotten said. “In a hyper-political age where legal issues often become merely partisan shouting matches, Scalia was too frequently described only in political terms. Lost in the heat of that description was Scalia’s larger legal project for which he will be best remembered: to anchor judging within the text and context of the Constitution and to help delineate the proper boundaries in which unelected and unrepresentative judges may legitimately decide our most pressing and divisive issues of public policy.”

“Justice Scalia was to present his constitutional understanding at Augustana University’s Boe Forum March 9. He was also scheduled to teach a class in constitutional law.

Each would have provided an uncommon educational opportunity for Augustana’s students. Sadly, it will not be,” Schotten said.

Professor Authors Chapter in New Book on Faith and Capitalism In a series of books focused on the working class in American history, the “Pew and the Picket Line: Christianity and the American Working Class” focuses on faith and capitalism through essays written by modern scholars of religion and history. Augustana’s own assistant professor of history Dr. Matthew Pehl contributed to the book with his chapter on the “Detroit Industrial Mission.” “[They were] a group of middle-class Protestant ministers who, in the 1950s, took jobs in auto plants in order to get closer to the working class,” Pehl said.

His chapter describes “the difficulties of DIM’s ministers in coming to terms with what they considered to be the very different religion norms of ordinary workers.”

Pehl’s involvement with the book started after he shared his passion for studying the role of religion in working-class culture with the book’s three editors. All had been working on individual projects and decided a book with multiple authors “could provide a great state-of-the-field perspective,” according to Pehl.

“The book is the realization of a nearly two generations’ worth of scholarly thinking and research on the theme of working class religion. I think it will mark the jumping-off point for much future scholarship. It also makes for fascinating reading.”

Having written his dissertation on working class culture in 20th-century Detroit and publishing further articles on the subject, Pehl was thrilled to share his breadth of knowledge as a contributor to the “Pew and the Picket Line.”

“I’m very interested in the ways in which ordinary people use ethical and cultural systems to create meaningful frameworks for the work they do every day,” he said.

“The Pew and the Picket Line” will be published March 30 but is available now for pre-order on Amazon.

Currently, Pehl is working on a short essay exploring the impact of feminism on South Dakota politics during the 1970s. He plans to present his research at the Dakota Conference in April 2016.

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Publisher’s Book Description The Pew and the Picket Line collects works from a new generation of scholars working at the nexus where religious history and working-class history converge. Focusing on Christianity and its unique purchase in America, the contributors use in-depth local histories to illustrate how Americans male and female, rural and urban, and from a range of ethnic backgrounds dwelt in a space between the church and the shop floor. Their vivid essays show Pentecostal miners preaching prosperity while seeking miracles in the depths of the earth, while aboveground black sharecroppers and white Protestants establish credit unions to pursue a joint vision of cooperative capitalism. Innovative and essential, “The Pew and the Picket Line” reframes venerable debates as it maps the dynamic contours of a landscape sculpted by the powerful forces of Christianity and capitalism.

Contributors: Christopher D. Cantwell, Heath W. Carter, Janine Giordano Drake, Ken Fones-Wolf, Erik Gellman, Alison Collis Greene, Brett Hendrickson, Dan McKanan, Matthew Pehl, Kerry L. Pimblott, Jarod Roll, Evelyn Sterne, and Arlene Sanchez Walsh.

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A VOICE TO SERVE Meet Navy JAG Officer Jen Buyske ‘07.

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esides the shared colors of navy and gold, Augustana University and the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps (U.S. Navy JAG) share this as a core value: to serve others.

Holding the title of Navy JAG officer has given Jen Buyske ‘07 the opportunity to serve and advocate for many people all over the world.

“I was really pulled in by the fact that you get to go into the courtroom right away,” Buyske said. “I’d be an advocate right away as opposed to having to work my way up the chain on the civilian side. I liked the idea of being able to travel and to serve my country and serve military members while continuing to do criminal law.”

Drawn to the Navy by her two older brothers and the lifestyle the Navy offered, Buyske applied to the Navy JAG program during her second year of law school.

Once accepted, she completed training at the Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island, in December 2010.

She flew to her first station in Guam in January 2011, where she stayed for two and a half years.

“It was definitely the farthest I’ve ever been away from home,” the Shelby, Montana, native said. “I had no idea what the culture was like, what the environment was like. I was going in blind, but I fell in love with it instantly.”

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Buyske says she enjoyed the island life, friendly locals and great office mates. As one of three defense attorneys for the Navy in Guam, she was thrown into work right away.

“I got clients right away, spoke with individuals and provided advice almost immediately,” she said. “It was definitely intimidating in terms of hoping you didn’t make a mistake, not really knowing everything yet and being OK with saying, ‘I’ll get back to you on that,’ knowing that they’re relying heavily on your expertise.”

Two weeks into the job, Buyske was sent out on a ship to give advice to the sailors.

“That experience shaped how I wanted to represent people,” she said. “These sailors were so intimidated just to talk to a lawyer but were so grateful for any assistance I gave, regardless of how small it may have seemed.”

For the next year and a half, Buyske defended clients who were facing the possibility of getting kicked out of the Navy under the court martial, the Navy’s legal system. She called the experience gratifying.

“I definitely see people on probably one of, if not the worst, day of their lives,” she said. “They’re facing criminal charges that range from drug use to serious crimes like sex assault to potential attempted murders, you name it. We represent sailors that run the gamut on the

level of offenses and they are facing someone who is wearing the same uniform as the person who is charging them with the crime.

So they immediately have an issue with trust. They’re not sure if they can trust you or if you’re on their team.

“So you have to work hard at making sure they know that not only are you on their team, but you’re really the lone person between them and the government train that’s coming at them. The system can be very overwhelming for these young sailors. It’s not like these kids are experienced in their life. A lot of them are in their 20s and have just come into the Navy out of high school and they’ve never had to deal with the criminal system before. So you stand next to them in the face of officers and people who out-rank them and you are their voice piece — their mouthpiece in front of the system. The system is definitely not set up for them to be successful. You are the one who stands there next to them and tries to deflect as many blows as you can.”

“It’s been gratifying to be able to do that for these guys.”

Jen Buyske ‘07 (back row, third from right) and office mates at a formal blues inspection of the Defense Service Offices.

“The system can be very overwhelming for these young sailors.

It’s not like these kids are experienced in their life. A lot of them are in their 20s and have just come into the Navy out of high school ... So you stand next to them in the face of officers and people who out-rank them and you are their voice piece — their mouthpiece in front of the system.”

— Jen Buyske ‘07 Fighting for Someone Else’s Life Back in August 2015 while living in Jacksonville, Florida, Buyske had a significant case representing an officer who was charged with rape and faced the maximum penalty of life in prison.

“It was a very emotional case because there was a lot of information for the trial that took months of preparation,” she said. “This individual was someone who I truly believed in and whom I came to respect. He had to go through so much hardship with this whole process of being accused and brought through this justice system.”

The trial itself was draining for Buyske, who was spent physically, emotionally and mentally while fighting for her client.

“I remember giving my closing argument and sitting down and my client put his arm on my shoulder as a thank-you gesture for being his voice.”

The jury delivered a not guilty verdict.

“He could barely stand after they read the verdict and he gave me a huge hug and his mom thanked me for saving her son,” Buyske said. “It was a very emotional experience in terms of knowing that I helped this person and it impacted everyone around him. It was the right outcome.”

After the trial, Buyske felt a new fire for the work she was doing.

“I felt like we can take hard cases to the court,” she said. “You don’t have to be scared of the courtroom, you don’t have to just bow out and take a plea deal. I will fight hard for every single individual I represent and I’m not going to be afraid to do it, even if it seems like the most difficult case and the decks are stacked against us. I have a new passion that increased for the work I’m doing, knowing that preparation and hard work can lead to a good outcome, a right outcome.”

Although she says she never imagined her life this way, the drive to serve others as a lawyer has been her goal for many years.

“My dad is a lawyer and, when I was growing up, he was the district court judge in Shelby, Montana,” Buyske said. “I loved being in the courtroom and watching him. I always wanted to be in the courtroom.”

She began working toward her goals at Carroll College in Montana but says she missed being on a competitive track and field

team and decided to transfer to Augustana after visiting her sister, Megan (Buyske) Schulte ‘05, on campus her freshman year.

“The small size appealed to me and so did the academics and sports opportunities,” Buyske said.

Becoming a Viking Along with her participation in track and field, Buyske focused on getting into law school as a government and international affairs major. Many of her classes were with Dr. Peter Schotten (government and international affairs).

“Dr. Schotten was very energetic and enthusiastic about the subjects he taught,” she said. “He had a quirky personality that was very endearing to most of us. The thing I remember the most is his passion for the subject matter we were covering.

“He was a major influence in my studies and also moving forward in the law area,” she said. “He was very helpful to me making a tough decision with which law school to go to and was there for me throughout the process.”

After Augustana, Buyske went on to Gonzaga University School of Law, earning her juris doctor in 2010.

What’s Next The Navy has continued to move Buyske around, and her next station will be in Groton, Connecticut, serving as an attorney to support submarine command. The new job will have her out of the courtroom.

“I’ll miss that challenge of being able to represent sailors on a daily basis, but I’m looking forward to taking on this new challenge advising the commanding officers of these sailors and helping them see what maybe they don’t see in terms of the justice system.”

From there, Buyske said she hopes to go into teaching at the justice school to pass on her passion and knowledge to the next generation of lawyers going out into the fleet.

“My long-term goal would be to either continue doing defense work in the navy as active duty or work as a public defender staying in the Navy on the reserve side,” Buyske said. “It depends what path presents itself, but the courtroom is where I want to be, and definitely on the defense side of the table.”

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Tyler Coverdale ‘12 during his swearing in ceremony to become an attorney by South Dakota Chief Justice David Gilbertson.

LAW IN THE CAPITOL Meet Tyler Coverdale ‘12, Clerk for the South Dakota Supreme Court.

We caught up with Tyler Coverdale, a Pierre, South Dakota, native and University of Iowa School of Law grad, to learn more about his position and his Augustana experiences.

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Q: Tell us about clerking.

A: I wish I had pursued clerking earlier, and I would recommend looking into it for any prospective lawyer. It’s a fantastic opportunity and it really helps you learn more about the law and does a great job of preparing you for practice. A lot of law firms really value clerking.

any one particular justice, but rather do work for each justice when they need me. The work is always interesting and rewarding. I would add that working for the South Dakota Supreme Court is particularly interesting because it has the final say regarding South Dakota law.

In addition to writing and research, we also hold court once a month where parties come to orally argue their cases. That’s always very informative and rewarding to see the best lawyers in the state argue on behalf of their clients. It’s an experience I know I’ll be grateful for once I’m in practice.

Q: What does a day at the capitol look like for you?

A: My day to day is pretty standard. Most of my days consist of doing research and writing. I research the cases and assist the justices in making their decisions. I also work on drafting the opinion with the justice after the initial research. It’s a lot of research, writing and synthesizing of cases which I find interesting. My job is a bit different from the other law clerks for the court in that I am not assigned to

Q: Because you aren’t assigned to a specific justice, does it make your job more challenging?

A: So far it hasn’t been more challenging. It’s been interesting to get a feel for their different approaches. It’s been great for me to learn what judges and justices like, what arguments you want to make, what they don’t like to hear and what they do like to hear. That’s the experience that makes clerking valuable to an attorney once he or she is in practice.

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Q: Did you have a focus in law school?

A: When you go to law school you graduate with a juris doctorate and can do any type of law you want. When a lot of people go to law school, they may have an idea in mind of what they want to do, but that often changes. Internships during summers are helpful to help law students decide what they may want to practice. I was fortunate enough for my second summer of law school to intern with Woods, Fuller, Shultz, and Smith in Sioux Falls, which is a great firm. I am lucky to have the opportunity to continue my career with them when my clerkship with the South Dakota Supreme Court ends.

Q: When did you decide you wanted to be a lawyer?

A: I’ve wanted to be a lawyer for so long. It’s been the plan since middle school. I spoke to a lawyer for a class project, I think in 7th grade. We had to talk to a professional about their job, and I remember thinking that this was something I would enjoy.

Ever since then, that’s been the plan. I’m lucky that things have worked out pretty well. I love what I do and can’t wait to continue my legal career.

Q: What does being a defender mean to you?

A: You hear a lot about what it means to be an attorney throughout law school, and I don’t think I was really able to

“Standing with my fellow new attorneys, pledging to never refuse the cause of the defenseless or oppressed, pledging to preserve my client’s secrets — it really hit me what being a member of the legal profession means.

I’m very proud to be a part of a profession that holds itself to such standards.”

— Tyler Coverdale Augustana Class of 2012 appreciate the importance of my chosen profession until the statewide swearing in ceremony after passing the bar exam.

Standing with my fellow new attorneys, pledging to never refuse the cause of the defenseless or oppressed, pledging to preserve my client’s secrets—it really hit me what being a member of the legal profession means. I’m very proud to be a part of a profession that holds itself to such standards.

Q: Why have you decided to practice law in South Dakota?

A: I just love the state and love the people. It was great to be away for law school to get the experience of living somewhere else, but I always knew I wanted to end up in South Dakota.

Family is very important to my wife and I, and both of our families live in South Dakota.

Q: Why did you choose to attend Augustana University?

A: Augie was the only school in South Dakota I pictured myself going to. I looked elsewhere but knew early on that I wanted to go to Augie. I was really attracted to the liberal arts atmosphere.

What really made my decision was the Distinguished Scholars Competition. I was awarded the opportunity to go to Greece with Dr. David O’Hara (philosophy) over spring break my freshman year. That trip helped me decide to major in philosophy as well as government, which I’m immensely thankful for today.

Q: Talk about the professors you had.

A: I was fortunate to have some really exceptional professors. I mentioned Dr. O’Hara earlier; he’s a huge asset for Augustana.

Looking back, those discussions and debates in philosophy

were so valuable for me to have in law school and now as an attorney.

The professors are really what separate Augie from other schools. Dr. Peter Schotten (government and international affairs) also had a huge influence on me in directing me toward law school. He’s a great pre-law advisor because he is very realistic about job prospects. The legal job market was struggling when I was considering law school and you could tell he wants to make sure those that enter the legal field are truly prepared for what it entails. He doesn’t hesitate to tell students what they need to hear. He was also influential on my decision to go to the University of Iowa for law school, which was a great decision. He’s also just as great in the classroom as he was as an advisor. He teaches his classes the same way law school classes are taught. His constitutional law class was more difficult than my law school class on constitutional law. I felt very prepared for law school; and I know it was in large part due to him.

I also was fortunate to take classes with Dr. Stephen Minister (philosophy), particularly a formal logic independent study my junior year. I can honestly say that my brain has never been as exhausted as it was during that independent study, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It was greatly helpful to prepare my mind for making the kind of legal arguments necessary in law school.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention Jason Harris (business administration) and his business law classes. He was a fantastic professor who did a great job of illustrating some of what classes at law school would entail, and always doing so in a very entertaining way. A lot of material from my first year of law school covered subjects introduced by his classes.

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HELPING TO BUILD COMMUNITY IN NYC Meet Tricia Halling ’02, Assistant General Counsel at the New York City Housing Development Corporation.

A native of Watertown, South Dakota, Tricia Halling double majored in government/international affairs and history at Augustana and went on to earn her J.D. from New York University School of Law. She also holds a master’s degree in international development from the University of Edinburgh.

We caught up with her to learn more about her career and her Augustana experiences.

Q. Tell us about your role with the New York City Housing Development Corporation.

A. The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) is a public benefit corporation affiliated with the New York City government. Its role is to finance the building and preservation of affordable housing in the city for low- and middle-income families. Beyond increasing the city’s supply of affordable housing, the organization is also committed to financing socially beneficial projects that contribute to the stability and 14

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economic diversity of neighborhoods in New York City. HDC’s focus on sustainable development is one of the aspects of the organization that I find the most exciting.

One of the ways that HDC provides financing for affordable housing is through the issuance of multifamily housing bonds. In fact, HDC is the country’s leading issuer of these bonds. The logistics and execution of those bond offerings is one of my main responsibilities. I have also learned a lot in my first year at HDC about the real estate, governance and regulatory considerations and issues that affect the various projects that we finance.

Q. What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

A. I have found that the challenges associated with financing affordable housing and building sustainable neighborhoods is both really interesting and rewarding. I grew up in Watertown, South Dakota – a

place where I’d always felt connected to my community. I’ve now spent most of my professional life in New York City and it’s an exciting place to be a young professional. However, my previous jobs were not particularly connected to the city itself. Now, with each project I work on, I feel more connected to the community of New York City. This job has expanded the way I think about how the city functions and how neighborhoods and communities within the city contribute to it. Plus, New York City residents are now essentially my clients and that’s a responsibility that I take very seriously.

Q. You double majored in government/international affairs and history at Augustana. What interests you about those areas?

A. I’ve always loved American history. In addition, I was a member of my high school’s policy debate team and through that experience, I developed an interest in public policy. In terms of my career, I was thinking about teaching, public policy and law when I started at Augustana.

“... with each project I work on, I feel more connected to the community of New York City. This job has expanded the way I think about how the city functions and how neighborhoods and communities within the city contribute to it...”

— Tricia Halling ‘02 Q. Tell us about your journey after graduation.

A. By my senior year, I was still interested in both public policy and law and I decided to work for a year or two to help me figure out whether law school or grad school was the best path.

I had interned for U.S. Senators Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson while I was a student at Augie. Those experiences helped me get a job as a junior member for Senator Daschle’s health and education policy team right after I graduated. For me, it was an ideal first job. I got to live in a new place and in a major city, but also talk to South Dakotans every day.

I realized while I was working on legislation that I was really interested in what the administrative law lawyers were doing – how they interpreted laws and implemented them. That’s not a thing that everyone finds interesting and it seemed like a pretty strong sign that I should start applying to law schools.

Q. You went to NYU’s School of Law. What was that like?

A. The first semester of law school is hard for everyone. Your grades in each course usually rely on one exam at the end of the semester. For me, having Dr. Schotten’s two constitutional law classes, along with my business law classes, I felt about as prepared as I could’ve been. I’d taken exams at Augie that presented the same types of hypotheticals and required the same type of analysis of case law. I also felt like the history classes I’d taken, as well as classes in the English department, had strengthened my research and writing skills.

Overall, NYU was a great experience. The environment was friendly and collegial, which reminded me a lot of Augie. I made wonderful friends and had incredible professors.

Q. What happened after law school?

A. For the first three and a half years after graduation, I worked in the corporate transactions group of a large, international law firm. I then moved to London and worked for an international law firm there. At both firms, my practice focused primarily on capital markets and securities law.

I decided I wanted to take my experience in corporate law and incorporate a public service aspect, so I went on to pursue a master’s degree in international development at the University of Edinburgh. Also, I love Scotland, so returning to grad school was a great excuse to spend a year there. After I finished that degree, I moved back to the U.S. and started looking for a job that would combine my interest in community and economic development with my legal experience.

Q. Tell us about some of your most influential Augustana professors.

A. As a history major, I took a lot of classes with the department’s professors including Drs. Mike Mullin, Geoffrey Dipple and Gary Olson, all of whom were influential in helping me develop research and writing skills and in helping me figure out my career goals.

During my sophomore year, I started meeting with Dr. Peter Schotten (government and international affairs) about my interest in law school. He suggested that I take one of his constitutional law classes. I loved the class and because Dr. Schotten structured it like a law school course, I started to think that law school was a viable path. Also, after the first exam, he found me in my work space in the History department and told me that I had an aptitude for the type of analysis and critical thinking that law school requires. He told me that if I wanted to pursue a career in law, he would help in whatever way he could.

After that, each semester I would sit down with him and talk through which classes would be useful preparing for law school.

He recommended I take economics classes, which were incredibly helpful but I don’t know if I would have taken them otherwise. He also recommended I take Dr. Looney’s Shakespeare seminar which was a brilliant recommendation. I was a little over-confident in my writing up to that point, but she quickly identified my weaknesses and helped me improve on them. Dr. Schotten also suggested that I take business law courses within the business department, which are the most closely connected to my current job.

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NEWS FROM THE HUDDLE

Class of 2015 Grads: 98% Job Placement According to a new report, 98 percent of recent Augustana grads seeking employment are employed in a position related to their major or chosen field.

Employment data, as well as other post-graduation activities and destinations for members of the Augustana Class of 2015 (graduates who completed bachelor’s degrees between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015), is detailed in the Outcomes Report, published by the Augustana Student Success Center.

Key statistics about the Augustana Class of 2015 include: • 19 percent are pursuing grad school and/or continuing education.

• Grads are working in 20 states and four countries around the world. Two out of three employed grads chose to remain in Sioux Falls.

Of those, half were not originally from the region.

• Top industry choices for 2015 grads include education, health care, business and social services.

• Mean salary was $38,000; the maximum salary reported was $68,000.

• 99.5% of grads participated in key engaged learning opportunities, such as experiential learning, internships, undergraduate research, clinicals, student teaching, study abroad and more.

“These numbers illustrate that Augustana University is indeed the place for possibilities,” said Rob Oliver, president.

“From classroom instruction by topnotch faculty members to high-impact, engaged learning opportunities such as internships, student teaching, and undergraduate research, our students are building unmatched experiences and forming critical professional connections well before they graduate,” Oliver said.

View the full report online at www.augie.edu/outcomes.

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Rahiwa Mussa, Jasmin Fosheim Named 2016 Peace Scholars

Juniors Rahiwa Mussa (Ababa, Ethiopia) and Jasmin Fosheim (Pierre, South Dakota) have been named the 2016 Augustana Peace Scholars.

As Peace Scholars, Mussa and Fosheim will embark on a seven-week academic experience in Norway designed to deepen their understanding of the central issues and theories related to peace, justice, democracy and human rights. The two will study at the Nansen Dialogue Network in Lillehammer and at the University of Oslo International Summer School June 19 - Aug. 5.

Sophomore Spencer O’Hara, a triple major in economics, government and international studies from Aberdeen, South Dakota, was named the University’s alternate. He will serve as Augustana’s Peace Scholar if either Mussa or Fosheim are unable to participate.

Rahiwa Mussa is a triple major in government, economics and philosophy.

She is an active member of the Peace Club and the Union Board of Governors (UBG). She serves as a junior senator for the Augustana Student Association (ASA) and is a founding member of the African Student Union. Her interests include hip-hop and Motown music, reading — especially contemporary literature— and high fashion. After Augustana, Mussa hopes to someday become a successful business owner and an advisor to the Ethiopian government.

A letter of recommendation for Mussa called her a “change-maker [who leaves you with a] positive impression, due to her polished demeanor and intellec-

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tual substance. [She is] one of the best contributors to class.”

Jasmin Fosheim is a double major in special education and psychology.

She serves as the curriculum chair for ASA and is a viking advisor in Tuve Hall on campus. Fosheim enjoys playing in The Augustana Band and doing anything that gets her outdoors, including hiking, rock climbing and volleyball.

Beyond Augustana, she is involved with the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership organization in South Dakota as a corporate board member. As an individual who is truly committed to serving others, she hopes to attend graduate school to study education and social work after Augustana.

A letter of recommendation for Fosheim called her “a poised and intelligent person … who will live a life of service and make the world better in a significant way.”

Mussa and Fosheim will be introduced at the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Forum set for June 6-8 at Augsburg College in Minneapolis.

This summer in Oslo, they will embark on coursework that will include the causes of armed conflicts, peace building, peacemaking, humanitarian interventions and aid, peacekeeping operations, gender, civil society and nonviolence and peace movements.

In conjunction with their studies, the scholars will also visit a number of influential institutions including the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO), Nobel Institute, Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights and the Nobel Peace Center.

ALBERT RETIRES After Three Decades of Making Students Smile, Beloved Custodian Albert Wendt Calls it a Career.

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ome people just have that little something — that charisma, that charm, that warmth that makes others remember them despite years passed.

For anyone who’s called Augustana’s Solberg Hall home over the last 30 years, that someone could likely be Albert Wendt, the ever-smiling, alwayshappy hall custodian.

“I always make it a point to say ‘good morning,’” Wendt says. “Pretty soon, the students start saying it back to me. I hold the door open for them and, pretty soon, I see them holding the door open for others.”

After serving Augustana students for more than 32 years, Wendt retired from his position as the custodian for Solberg Hall and Costello Apartments last fall.

As he reflects on his three decades on campus, he says the opportunity to interact with students has been the most meaningful.

“I always try to be the first one to say ‘hi.’ I tease them a little bit. I have six kids of my own so I know how it goes. Kids are kids. I try to look out for them.

Eventually, they see my name on my shirt and they start to know me, too,” he said.

Two former students he calls “his special ones” are Mark ‘84 and Carmen ‘87 Hecht.

“I know Mark and Carmen, and I know all their kids, too,” Wendt said.

Carmen Hecht, who now serves as Augustana’s recreation coordinator, knows Wendt well.

“He knows our whole family as we have all lived in the dorms,” she said, referring to herself, her husband, Mark, and their three children: Keegan, Peyton and Cale.

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“He still knows my room number in Granskou — I don’t even know it! That’s 30 some years ago! Albert has always taken an interest in our kids and kept an eye out for them while in the dorms. He is the ‘grandfather figure’ that notices you, takes an interest in you and wants the best for you. He makes me smile. He’s always met us with ‘that grin’ and a hug that’s so authentic and genuine.”

Her daughter, senior Peyton Hecht, lived in Solberg Hall her freshman year and had the opportunity to interact with Wendt each day.

“Albert always took the time to ask me how my day was going,” Peyton said. “He genuinely cares about everyone. He’ll be missed.”

Carmen Hecht says Wendt has “shown up day-in and day-out, year after year with an amazing attitude and servant heart.”

John Schuety, Augustana’s housekeeping manager, agrees.

“He’s quite the guy. He loves the students. He loves Augie. He identifies himself as part of Augustana and, I think the students really do keep him young,” Schuety said.

Katie Rivers, a sophomore from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, lived in Solberg her freshman year, echoes Schuety’s sentiments.

“He’s just the nicest, sweetest person,” Rivers said.

Wendt came to Augustana in 1983 after running his own dairy farm outside of Marion, South Dakota, for more than 25 years. He still lives on the farm, along with his wife of 56 years, Mildred.

When asked what he’ll do after his retirement from Augustana, Wendt just smiles.

“I’ll always keep busy. I still live on the farm, so I’ve got my mower and tractor. I’ll keep busy,” he said.

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Scott Peters ‘77 (left) and his parents outside the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., before Austin vs. United States.

THE ADVOCATE April 20, 1993, was arguably the most exciting and devastating day for Scott Peters ‘77.

He and his colleague, Richard Johnson, presented their case, Austin v. United States, to the United States Supreme Court and came out after the argument believing they had lost.

They didn’t lose, but the case marked a pivotal point in Peters’ career.

Now retired, Peters reflects back on his 30-year career in law, his work as a mental health advocate and time at Augustana.

A Date with the Supreme Court In 1993, a friend of Scott Peters’, Richard Johnson, took him to lunch and asked him to help research and write briefs for a case of Johnson’s that had recently been accepted by the United States Supreme Court.

The case involved Johnson’s client, a man named Richard Austin, who was caught selling two grams of cocaine to an undercover agent. Austin ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute and was sentenced to the State Penitentiary for seven years. On top of this sentence, the federal government, under a civil forfeiture law, confiscated Austin’s home and auto body shop, instruments the court said helped him sell the drugs.

“We felt that for the relatively small amount of drugs, this was a pretty severe civil penalty,” Peters said. “This was in the heyday of federal civil forfeiture where the federal government was getting millions and millions of dollars’ worth of property in forfeitures.”

Those who thought this was an excessive practice challenged it on several constitutional grounds, including due process. But no one had succeeded.

“No one had ever challenged it on the ground that it violated the excessive fines clause of the 8th Amendment of the Constitution,” Peters said.

For those who are rusty from their high school government class, the 8th Amendment prohibits the government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishment.

Peters agreed to write the briefs, and he spent the next month writing and researching from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. His former political science professor at Augustana, Dr. Peter Schotten (government and international affairs), helped review one of the later drafts.

This extreme schedule may sound like one that only a procrastinating college student would have to follow, but Peters and Johnson were notified by the Supreme Court shortly after the case was accepted that the Court was setting the case on an expedited schedule with briefs due in a month.

“We had the government, and all 50 attorney generals against our case and supporting a long history of civil forfeiture in the United States,” Peters said.

Standing not four feet away from the Supreme Court justices, including the late Justice Scalia and current Justices Thomas and Kennedy, they had an hour to present their case.

“There we were, in our $300 suits from Norman’s, as four deputy solicitors for the government entered in tuxes and tails,” he said.

“We got about three minutes into our case and the Justices were already asking us extremely difficult questions.

“We just got skewered by the Justices. Justice Scalia asked tough questions, as did Justice Rehnquist, and we left the oral arguments feeling that we probably wouldn’t get any votes in support of the premise that a forfeiture could be an excessive fine under the 8th Amendment. We thought for sure we had lost. The government seemed to have a fairly strong case.”

Several national organizations wanted to argue the case on behalf of Peters and Johnson’s client, saying they had more experience before the Supreme Court.

“We had a lot of pressure to let someone else brief and argue this case, and we thought about what was best for our client; but Richard Austin wanted us to represent him.”

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In June, they received the Court’s opinion. It was 9-0 in their favor.

“It was incredible,” Peters said. “When we got the opinion, our phones rang off the hook with calls from law reviews and journals and publications like Newsweek.”

Peters still cites Dr. Schotten’s “Constitutional Law” class as the wellspring of his interest in constitutional law practice.

After graduating from Augustana in 1977, Peters went to law school at the University of South Dakota where he served on the Law Review board and graduated in 1980.

He received clerking positions with two judges (state circuit court judge Robert Heege and federal district court judge John Jones) over the next three years before entering private practice in 1983. Then in 1986, Judge Heege appointed him as chair of the Minnehaha County Board of Mental Illness.

Working in Mental Health “The Minnehaha County Board of Mental Illness is a civil commitment board that handles cases of people who are severely mentally ill, a danger to themselves or others, and in need of treatment,” Peters said.

Peters says his class with Augustana psychology professor Dr. Michael Nedelsky, “Psychology and the Law,” along with his general interest in medical and psychiatric issues piqued his interest in the job as chair. His wife, Dr. Patty (Jarratt) Peters ’76, shares that medical interest.

In the beginning, the county’s Board of Mental Illness was small — overseeing just 150 cases in 1986 — so Peters considered this a part-time position.

His job as board chair was to review petitions for psychiatric commitment, to hear evaluation reports from mental health professionals and then to conduct commitment hearings if appropriate.

“The number of petitions for commitment rose dramatically over the next 25 years — from 150 in 1986 to nearly 1,300 in 2010. So in 2010, I quit private practice and worked full time for the Mental Illness Board,” he said. “The cases also became more complicated, with such things as designer and prescription drugs entering the mix. It was demanding work, and it got to be too much for me to do along with a private practice.”

He spent the next five years working for Minnehaha County doing exclusively mental illness commitment board adjudications, until his retirement in June of 2015.

Peters thinks the number of petitions for commitment rose quickly for several reasons: “There was certainly more stigma and probably a lesser understanding of mental illness in 1986 than there is today. That could account for the fewer petitions for commitment of mentally ill people. Also, law enforcement and medical professionals became more concerned about liability, especially where someone was saying something that could be construed as being dangerous.

We saw more co-occurring drug and alcohol disorders. Finally, with a recession and some security concerns, society has probably become a little more anxious and depressed, so that could account for some of the growth.”

When the number of cases routinely exceeded 1,200 a year, Peters helped start a mobile crisis team in Sioux Falls to send mental health counselors out with law enforcement.

“The use of a mobile crisis team out in the field has been very successful,” Peters said. “The police have a tool to better evaluate whether the person needs to be on a hold or just has an acute social problem. For example, it often seems very serious when police are called to a dispute with a girlfriend or boyfriend or another family member and one of the parties expresses some thoughts of self-harm or perhaps thoughts of harming others.

When you delve into it a little bit deeper with a mental health counselor, however, one might find that it really didn’t rise to the The AUGUSTANA

level of severe mental illness or that an actual danger to self or others does not exist. It was an acute social issue that could be deescalated and resolved at the scene or with voluntary treatment.”

The board found that most cases reviewed by the mobile crisis team could be handled without the need for a mental illness hold being placed by law enforcement.

“In October [2015] the mobile crisis team saw 68 people with law enforcement, and out of those over 90 percent were not placed on a mental illness hold,” Peters said. “They either stayed home or went voluntarily to the hospital. So that’s a successful way of handling potential commitment cases in a way that we didn’t do before.”

Not only does it prevent the police from having to put people on hold, but also it is less traumatic for those who would be placed on hold.

“When a person is placed on a police hold and they go to the psychiatric facility, their kids, if they have any, may have to go to social services,” Peters said. “They might lose their job or have employment problems because they missed a couple days of work.

Any number of problems might happen to them just by being detained for a mental illness evaluation.

“So we try to balance individual liberty with personal and community safety. The mobile crisis team helps us get that balance right and provides a less restrictive alternative in many cases.”

Peters also sees his work as being an advocate for the recovery of severely mentally ill people.

“It’s important for people who are severely mentally ill to have access to treatment,” Peters said. “We are now finding out medically that the sooner you treat a person with a newly established mental illness, the better the outcome is. It makes sense because

Peters (far right) performs with J. Walker and the Pedestrians during a concert at Augustana (late 1970s).

Starting in Small-Town South Dakota Coming from a small farm in Britton, South Dakota, Peters heard about Augustana’s reputation and was interested in its pre-law program.

“My grandfather was a lawyer and a judge and I always thought I wanted to be a lawyer,” he said. “Augie’s political science department was highly regarded so I applied. It’s the only place I applied.”

During his sophomore year, Peters met Dr. Schotten, who was new to campus at the time. Schotten eventually became his prelaw advisor.

“He was top notch in constitutional law,” Peters said. “He and Dr. Michael Nedelsky taught me how to think critically. Peter Schotten was a stickler for critical thinking and the ability to have a broad base of educational experiences.”

“So we try to balance individual liberty with personal and community safety.

The mobile crisis team helps us get that balance right and provides a less restrictive alternative in many cases.”

— Scott Peters Augustana Class of 1977 it’s similar to if you had a heart attack or a stroke. If you can get to the hospital and get treatment right away, your outcome and the course of your long term medical condition is better. It’s similar for severe mental illnesses.”

Peters said tools and treatments have also evolved.

“Today, we have things like functional MRIs that can show changes in the brain for people with a severe mental illness. We also have genetic studies that will help in the treatment of mental illness. Now that we have more tools, it’s lessened the stigma and also people have become more attuned to mental illness problems and treatment/recovery possibilities.”

“Therefore, sometimes it is really important to at least temporarily divert people with severe mental illness from the criminal justice system where they might sit in jail for long periods of time without treatment. If they sit in jail without appropriate treatment, they may lose their ability to optimally recover from their disease, and then lose their employment, family, housing, practically everything, because they can’t function. Whereas if you can get them into treatment successfully, they can lead a relatively normal life in a lot of cases, and the criminal justice system is then in a better position to deal with them appropriately, if that becomes necessary.”

Peters’ goal for his mental illness board work has been to place people in the optimal setting for safety first and then recovery, in the least restrictive alternative, and at an acceptable cost.

Dr. Nedelsky taught a class called “Psychology and the Law” which Peters says “ended up being instrumental in what I did after law school.”

Peters was also influenced by Dr. Sandra Looney (English) and, after one class with her, added an English minor to his political science major.

“English majors from Augie do really well in law school,” Peters said. “Communication and English are the fundamental things that a lawyer needs to express himself and advocate for clients. I became a good writer, and it helped me in law school, in drafting case briefs, in communicating, and later in preparing Supreme Court briefs for Austin v. United States.”

When he wasn’t jamming on the bass with J. Walker and the Pedestrians, a rock and roll band he formed with his classmates, Peters served as president of Blue Key and Political Science Honors Societies and worked in the political science department office.

Peters says he’s had a true Augustana advantage throughout his life.

In a speech to the government and international affairs students at a banquet in 2012, Peters ended by saying ,“For me, this is the overarching truth, ‘No one sees the world as it is; we only see the world as we are,’ evidences both the need for and the value of a liberal arts education. It is a challenge to broaden who we are.”

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NEW MAJOR: MEDIA STUDIES The Media Studies major is designed for students interested in pursuing careers in film, television, radio, public relations/advertising, marketing, journalism and more.

This spring, Augustana announced its newest major in media studies.

This interdisciplinary study draws from departments including communication, journalism, English, art, business and government and international affairs.

The major was designed by a new hire, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies Dr. Tasha Rennels, who comes to Augustana after finishing her Ph.D. at the University of South Florida.

“When I was creating the media studies major, I wanted to get the best of both worlds with a balance between theory and practice,” Rennels said. “We want students to know more than just how to be skilled producers but also how to be informed consumers.”

Media studies is offered as a major and a minor and features unique classes including the “History of Electronic Media,” “Media and Society” and “Media Aesthetics and Production.”

Rennels said graduates who major in media studies will be well suited for graduate school, as well as a variety of careers in film, television, radio, public relations/advertising, marketing, journalism and more.

There is also a required internship for all majors.

“These internships required of students will fit the medium of their choice — kind of a choose-your-own-adventure route to start their path toward a career,” Rennels said.

Local businesses have already begun reaching out to Rennels, asking for students to intern for their organizations.

Rennels, who worked in the radio industry before getting her Ph.D., said, “These internships prepare students to have 21st-century skills in an area that has penetrated every part of our lives — the media.”

With the help of her colleagues in the Department of Communication Studies and other departments across campus, Rennels says the major and minor pair well with many other majors on campus including business, communication studies 22

“Students can learn to be gatekeepers to help better inform the media being consumed by the public and inspire social change.”

— Dr. Tasha Rennels and journalism.

“We as consumers have a more active role in what we consume today because there are more channels to choose from,” Rennels said. “Students can learn to be gatekeepers to help better inform the media being consumed by the public and inspire social change.”

Students should expect to create projects using different mediums (photography, audio and video), produce critical analyses of various media sites (including television shows and Facebook) and learn from professionals in the media industry who will guest lecture in various media studies courses beginning this spring.

Starting in January 2017, Rennels and photography professor Anna Reich will offer a study abroad trip through UMAIE directly related to and incorporating media studies called “Cultural Trauma, Communication, and the Camera in Eastern Europe.”

This course will analyze how photography can inspire communication that provides insight into how Holocaust survivors and victims of the Soviet occupation in Eastern Europe deal with trauma and process grief.

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The NCAA DII NATIONAL CHAMPIONS SPECIAL EDITION

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love a good story. A colorful setting, a spirited narrator, an inspiring cast of characters, an exciting plot, a challenging conflict and a climactic resolution. What’s better than that, right?

Today, I simply can’t think of a better story than that of our men’s basketball team winning their first-ever NCAA national championship.

What makes this story so great is that while it’s ultimately about basketball, it’s really about so much more. It’s about a group of 14 young men who pushed themselves to do something that had never been done before. Imagine the hundreds of thousands of shots they took, sprints they ran, and hours they practiced to get to the national championship.

Imagine the sweat, the tears, and the pain they endured.

Working together through it all, they formed a close bond.

If you ask the players, they’ll tell you they consider their teammates family. It’s why they broke every huddle with a collective call of “brothers.” They care about each other, look out for one another, and offer support – not just on the court, but in life, too. Theirs is a story about camaraderie, grit, drive, determination, and perseverance.

This is a story about an inspiring coach who serves as a role model for not only his team, but for thousands of others who watch him on the court as he teaches, provides guidance, celebrates victories, gives praise, and motivates these young men to push themselves further than they ever dreamed they could.

And, it’s a story about spirit. I can’t begin to thank the investors who helped us build the program and the 800-plus Augustana fans who made the trip to Frisco, Texas – many driving 12 hours straight through – in order to cheer our Vikings on to victory. I’m also thankful for the thousands of fans who cheered our men on from their homes, via social media, and from watch parties throughout the U.S. and even around the world.

Why were they cheering? It wasn’t just so we’d win a basketball game. They were cheering for a team of 14 brothers who’d worked so hard for so long; for a coach who inspires perseverance both on and off the court; for their alma mater and all the wonderful memories they built during their four years here; and for a University that works to help students find not only a career, but a life of meaning, purpose and service.

Thank you, Augustana Vikings, for dedicating yourselves to this season, for being young men of integrity, character and faith, and for being excellent ambassadors of Augustana University; to Coach Billeter and his staff for inspiring and motivating this team; to the city of Sioux Falls and the state of South Dakota for celebrating with us, to our local media for helping to tell the story in artful ways, and to our fans for remembering that each and every day is a great day to be an Augustana Viking!

Yours, for Augustana,

Rob Oliver President

#AUGIEMADNESS TOP PHOTO: President Rob Oliver proudly displays the NCAA DII National Championship trophy (photo by Angie Oliver). ABOVE: More than 800 fans filled the Augie cheering section at the championship game between Augustana and Lincoln Memorial at the Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas (photo by Gene Smith ‘76).

COVER: Alex Richter holds up the championship trophy in celebration with his teammates (photo courtesy NCAA).

Sioux Falls Watch Party: Nearly 200 alumni, friends and students attended a Championship Game Watch Party at the Holiday Inn on Saturday, March 26.

Team of Brothers: Senior Dan Jansen (center) rallies his teammates before the final game against Lincoln Memorial (photo by Gene Smith).

Showing His Spirit: Freshman Will Hoiseth cheers on his teammates during the championship game (photo by Gene Smith).

Making it Happen: Senior Alex Richter (left), drives to the hoop against a Lincoln Memorial defender. Richter, who was named the NCAA Elite Eight’s “Most Outstanding Player” of the tournament also earned praise from CBS veteran sports commentator Clark Kellogg, who labeled Richter’s contributions during the game as the “Richter Scale!” Adam Beyer (right) added nine points and four rebounds against the Railsplitters (photos by Gene Smith).

Up and In: Senior Casey Schilling pushes toward the basket during the championship game. He scored 20 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to help the Vikings defeat the Railsplitters 90-81. Schilling, Jansen and Richter were all named to the Elite Eight All Tournament Team (photo by Gene Smith).

Bringing it Home: After suffering an injury to his foot during practice, Jansen was forced to sit out of the tournament’s first game against Tarleton State. He played part of the game against Western Oregon and was key in the final match-up against Lincoln Memorial, scoring 25 points and grabbing nine rebounds (photo by Gene Smith).

Champions: The NCAA DII National Championship game aired on CBS on Saturday, March 26. Early analysis estimated nearly 3 million viewers tuned in to watch (photo by Gene Smith).

Singing ‘We’re No. 1’: Freshman Will Hoiseth holds the trophy, Jordan Spencer leads the cheering and Alex Richter signals that the Augustana Vikings are the No. 1 team in the nation (photo by Gene Smith).

In Celebration: After the game and the win, Head Coach Tom Billeter waves the championship net. Billeter was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches 2016 Division II Coach of the Year (photo by Gene Smith).

Awesome: Adam Beyer takes a turn holding the trophy (photo

by Gene Smith).

Making Memories: Senior Dan Jansen (left) and junior Zach Huisken (right) each take a turn with the championship trophy (photos by Gene Smith).

Welcome Home: Hundreds of students, parents, alumni and friends welcomed the team home on Tuesday, March 29, during a celebration in the Elmen Center (photo by Gene Smith).

Thanking the Fans: Junior Zach Huisken waives to the fans at the Welcome Home Celebration in honor of the men’s basketball team. The event was held in the Elmen Center on Tuesday, March 29 (photo by Kelly Sprecher).

EXPERIENCE THE EXCITEMENT OF THE ELITE EIGHT AND #AUGIEMADNESS! Videos: www.augie.edu/madnessvideos

Game stats & recaps: www.goaugie.com

Relive the tournament in social media: www.augie.edu/madness

Behind the scenes insights: www.augie.edu/madnessblog Viking gear and apparel: www.augie.edu/bookstore

Videos:

Relive t www.au

AUGUSTANA SOPHOMORE PLACES SECOND IN ‘JEOPARDY!’ SEMIFINALS ANSWER: She’s the Augustana University sophomore who competed on the hit TV quiz show “Jeopardy! College Championship.”

QUESTION: Who is Hannah Norem? annah Norem, a native of Houston, Texas, was selected as one of only 15 contestants from across the nation to participate in the 2016 “Jeopardy! College Championship,” which aired on ABC Feb. 1-12.

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From there, she received an email from “Jeopardy!” staffers informing her that she’d been selected for one of only 300 in-person auditions in Columbus, Ohio.

After her in-person audition, she was selected as one of the show’s 15 contestants.

‘This Weird Knack for Knowing Weird Bits of Trivia’ A double major in political science/government & international affairs and religion, Norem has chosen a pre-law emphasis. After graduation, she hopes to attend law school at either the University of Texas at Austin or the University of Minnesota.

“I really want to be a judge,” she said. “I’ve always been interested in the ins and outs of the law.”

Norem’s always been a character, too. For her fifth birthday, she didn’t wish for toys or a new bike. She wanted a set of encyclopedias.

By six, she had memorized all the U.S. presidents, along with facts about each one. At seven, she dressed up as Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor for Halloween.

She also has a great memory.

“I have a great ability to memorize things. So I have this weird knack for knowing weird bits of trivia,” Norem said.

She said she’s always been a fan of “Jeopardy!” and decided to try out for the show’s “College Championship” edition after her mom suggested it.

Advancing to the Semifinals Norem’s first-round score of $14,400 secured her a wild card position to advance to the semifinals.

There, Norem gave the correct question to the “Final Jeopardy” answer, wagering her entire total of $9,100 – taking her final score up to $18,200.

Her closest opponent also responded correctly. His wager took his total to $18,201.

For those who can’t believe their eyes, yes, it was a difference of $1.

For the dozens of students, faculty and staff who cheered Norem on during “Jeopardy!” watch parties in the Back Alley, the final totals didn’t matter. There was cheering. There was clapping. And there was, without question, immeasurable pride for the woman who had advanced past thousands of applicants to compete as one of “America’s 15 brightest college students.”

As Norem’s “Jeopardy!” journey comes to an end, she says she’s thankful for the experience and for the $10,000 cash prize she earned as a wild card semifinalist.

“Jeopardy was a great experience for me,” Norem said.

“I can’t say enough about my fellow competitors. They are all incredibly intelligent and wonderful people, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to meet them but to also represent my school in front of 12 million viewers!”

The Road to ‘Jeopardy!’

To apply for the show, Norem’s first step was to complete a 50-question online test. She was allowed 15 seconds to answer each question.

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Erik Jensen ‘77 speaks in front of a class at the national law school in Timor Leste. Photo by Stanford Law student Jessica Fox.

A LIFE OF MEANING ABROAD Meet Erik Jensen ‘77. He’s lived and worked in Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Pakistan and the United States.

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career full of serendipity and passion sounds like the dream, doesn’t it?

To say you’ve never worked a day in your life because you love your job so much is what many college students and postgrads strive for, right?

Erik Jensen ‘77 says he has achieved this through his work with the Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia, and through teaching at Stanford. He has lived in Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Pakistan and is now back in the United States after 14 years abroad, where he now teaches law at Stanford Law School.

“Maybe we create opportunities for ourselves, but I think most people are looking for an intersection between their passion and the market,” Jensen said. “I happened to be in the right place at the right time and was really committed to it.”

Setting him on the right path after graduating with majors in political science, history and a minor in English were his professors at Augustana, Dr. Peter Schotten (government and international affairs), Dr. Sandra Looney (English), Duane Matz (history) and John Bylsma (history).

“The thought that is fundamental to me is how Augustana put me on a really good path to pursue a life that I think is meaningful,” Jensen said. “I look at all my students at Stanford and I think back to my time at 24

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Augustana and how many of us want to lead meaningful lives and not everyone succeeds in doing that, but Augustana professors really helped me to focus as my life unfolded on what was meaningful.”

His journey after Augustana began with four years at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, to attain his Juris Doctor degree in 1981.

“I felt well prepared for law school having taken a number of Peter Schotten’s classes,” Jensen said.

“If I were to point to one of my favorite classes during school, it would be Peter’s “Political Theory” class where we studied Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes and others. It helped me shape some of my philosophical framework about the world.”

For example, Jensen explains “the core of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics is about developing good habits and the importance of developing good habits to have a good life.”

“That really impressed me as simple and perhaps self-evident as it may seem. I’m not going to say that all my habits are good, but it certainly informed some of

my good habits in trying to do what I thought was meaningful with my life.”

His search of a meaningful life led him to hop across the pond to the London School of Economics where he graduated with a Master of Laws degree in 1983. “[The London School of Economics] got me interested in teaching law in developing countries because I think LSE is the most international university in the world,” Jensen said.

Jensen applied for and received a Fulbright teaching grant after just two years back in the United States working for Gelco Corporation (now a division of General Electric) as an assistant general counsel. He was given a leave of absence to teach at a law school in Sri Lanka for a year.

But things didn’t go according to plan.

On the way back to their hotel after the first day of the workshop, he and the Stanford professor had a conversation: “Erik, what are you doing after Pakistan.”

“I don’t know. I’ve tried a lot of things, I’ve failed in ways and I’ve succeeded sometimes but I’ve always tried. My children have never lived in the U.S. and it might be time,” Jensen said.

“Come to Stanford.”

“I’m not asking for a job,” Jensen said.

“And I’m not an employment agency. Come to Stanford.”

The next day, Jensen shared a similar conversation with the NYU professor and suddenly found himself with two job offers.

“So I called my wife and asked her which it would be and we had two young children at the time, so that was about a 15 second conversation before we said, ‘We are definitely going to Stanford.’”

“Sometimes international agents can be helpful in generating ideas on how that might happen, but at the end of the day, local agents are absolutely essential to make a difference in the countries in which they live.”

— Erik Jensen ‘77 Lightbulb “About 30 years ago last October, when my wife and I landed in Sri Lanka, I knew my life’s work was ahead of me,” Jensen said. “I found what I wanted to do for a career and after four months in Sri Lanka, I was sure that I didn’t want to return to practicing law.”

Jensen applied and got another Fulbright grant to remain in Sri Lanka, but after two years, he said Fulbright politely told him, “look, you’re doing a great job in Sri Lanka, but this isn’t a career. You’ve got to get out and get a job.”

Not willing to go home just yet, Jensen walked into the Asia Foundation in Sri Lanka and asked if they needed a law consultant.

They hired him and he worked as a law consultant for two years while teaching at the University of Colombo law school in Sri Lanka.

“In the last four months I was there, I promised Sri Lankan academics that I would write a book on international law for the country,” Jensen said. “I went unemployed for four months to finish ‘International Law from a Sri Lankan Perspective,’ ironically authored by Erik Jensen.”

As he finished up his book, the Asia Foundation called to ask if Jensen would go to the Philippines to represent the organization.

Deciding it was time for a new experience, Jensen agreed.

“After four phenomenal years in Sri Lanka, my wife and I moved to the Philippines right before a coup attempt on Philippine President Corazon Aquino in 1989.”

Continuing to follow the call to a meaningful life, Jensen and his wife lived in the Philippines for four years while he taught at Ateneo de Manila University College of Law. While there, they had their first child, Britt.

The family again was called by the Asia Foundation. This time, Jensen had his pick of countries and chose Pakistan.

“Living in Manila with a young child, we became interested in clean air and I was also interested in the political development in Pakistan.”

Along with representing the Asia Foundation in Pakistan, he coauthored a long term development vision for then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, led a million dollar diagnostic study of the legal system in Pakistan and he and his wife had their second child, Stefan.

Coming Home Totaling 14 years abroad, Jensen was finally called back to the states while working with the Asian Development Bank to critique a research study. Joining him in the critique workshop were faculty members from Stanford Law School and NYU School of Law.

“That’s sort of how my career has gone,” Jensen said. “I haven’t applied for a job in decades. It’s just been going from one very interesting thing to the next.”

Jensen has been at Stanford for more than 16 years now, the first dozen of which he split between Stanford and the Asia Foundation.

In the last four-plus years, Jensen has been a full-time professor at Stanford Law School and the director of the Rule of Law Program.

Part of his loyalty still remains with the Asia Foundation however as he continues to advise them on a pro bono (free) basis.

“One thing that has motivated me throughout my career in developing countries is how poverty is by far the greatest force depriving people of human dignity,” Jensen said. “I really have tried to focus my work on ways to pull poor people out of their predicament.

“I have led some studies showing ways poor people might get the resources from the states that they are legally entitled to and how they can be advocated for before bureaucracies,” he said. “I have focused on legal education in this period in my career because I really think local agents need to fix local problems.

“Sometimes international agents can be helpful in generating ideas on how that might happen, but at the end of the day, local agents are absolutely essential to make a difference in the countries in which they live.”

At Augustana Jensen was no stranger to Augustana as he says dozens of his relatives attended the University before him and at the time he was applying, his mother Trudy Rogness Jensen ‘43 was sitting on the board of regents.

“It was a family affair for many decades before I arrived on campus.” A member of the concert band and the jazz band his freshman year, Jensen enjoyed playing with Dr. Harry “Doc” Krueger, beloved professor of music. Starting his sophomore year, he helped create the men’s club soccer team for Augustana and served on the student government as head of the appropriations committee.

He also happened to attend Augustana during the first couple years of Dr. Schotten’s tenure.

“Peter struck the appropriate level of fear in all of us if we came to class unprepared,” Jensen said. “I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but I appreciate it now. Teaching in a law school requires one to carry a delicate balance between impressing upon students the importance of preparation and still maintaining a very positive classroom environment. I think Peter struck that balance extremely well.”

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Altie Domsitz

Myron (Mike) Domsitz

$5 MILLION GIFT FOR SCHOLARSHIPS An estate gift from alumni Myron (Mike) and Altie Domsitz will support scholarships for students.

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ugustana University has received a $5 million estate gift from alumni Myron (Mike) and Altie Domsitz. The gift, designed specifically to support scholarships for students, is the largest of its kind in Augustana’s 156-year history.

Mike Domsitz, Augustana class of 1933, died in 2005. His wife, Altie (Sterud) Domsitz, class of 1936, passed away last summer.

According to a family member, the couple kept Augustana close to their hearts throughout their lives.

“Mike would always talk about Augustana, and so would Altie,” said their nephew, Dan Sterud. “I think for them, it was more than a special place.”

“Mike received a scholarship to attend Augustana. They really wanted [their estate] to support scholarships for students. They both had a real spot in their hearts for helping others in need, with no expectation in return, and they believed in Augustana’s mission as a school of the Church,” he said.

Augustana President Rob Oliver called the gift a blessing.

“On behalf of Augustana, I extend our most 26

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heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Mike and Altie – two individuals whose generosity will change the lives of men and women who hope and dream for higher education,” Oliver said. “Mike and Altie’s trust in Augustana, their belief in our mission, and their faith in the power of possibility is altogether humbling and inspiring.

“Augustana is known as ‘the place for possibilities’ for many reasons – one of which is our commitment to making quality higher education affordable. This gift will enable us to award even more scholarships to deserving students. And for that, we are eternally thankful,” said Oliver.

About the Donors A native of Sioux Falls and a graduate of Washington High School, Mike Domsitz majored in chemistry at Augustana. After graduation, he pursued his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Iowa.

He began his career as a geophysicist with an oil well surveying corporation in Corpus Christi, Texas. In 1942, during the early stages of World War II, he was appointed to the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C. While there, and under top security clearance,

Domsitz was among the scientists who developed the radio proximity fuse used with the first atomic bombs.

An archived article from The Daily Argus Leader, now known as the Argus Leader, chronicled Domsitz’s service. Headlined “Sioux Falls Scientist Among Experts Behind War’s 2nd Secret Weapon,” the story reported on the government’s release “from its top secret files” of scientists behind the radio proximity fuse.

Among the names on the list: M.G. Domsitz.

“The story behind the radio proximity fuse, as released by Washington, is one of a secret well kept, a race between Germany and the United States for perfection of the device, and an outstanding chapter in the U.S. record of cooperation between science, industry and the military,” the article said. “… without its perfection, the atomic bomb could never have been carried in the B-29 ‘end of war’ raid on Japan.”

In 1983, Augustana honored Mike Domsitz and his contributions to the field of scientific exploration and discovery with an Alumni Achievement Award.

“Mike received a scholarship to attend Augustana.

They really wanted [their estate] to support scholarships for students.

They both had a real spot in their hearts for helping others in need, with no expectation in return.”

— Dan Sterud Nephew to Mike and Altie Domsitz ‘He Was Just Kind of a Normal Guy’ Growing up, Sterud said he never fully realized his uncle was involved in such a history-making project.

“Mike was just kind of a normal guy. He loved, loved, loved to fish and they both loved to garden. Mike was fairly serious, but he could and would talk with anyone. Altie was more outgoing. She could walk into a room full of strangers and within half an hour would know most of them and be liked by everybody,” Sterud said.

A Luverne (Minnesota) High School graduate, Altie Domsitz grew up with three brothers and was active in the debate club. She graduated from Augustana in 1936.

Throughout their lives, the couple lived in Iowa City, Iowa; Corpus Christi, Texas; Terry Town, New York; Potomac, Maryland; Brookings, South Dakota; and Sioux Falls.

Former Augustana Presidents Dr. Ralph Wagoner and Dr. Bruce Halverson both knew the couple well and spoke of their generosity and love for Augustana.

“They were such gracious supporters and were a joy to work with,” said Wagoner, who served as Augustana’s 21st president from 1993-2000. “What just takes me aback is this: Here’s

a couple without children of their own, who are thinking about how to impact other kids and future generations.”

Halverson agreed.

“Our many conversations revealed their caring commitment to Augie’s students, and I’m grateful their lives will be celebrated and honored with scholarships for future generations,” said Halverson, who served as Augustana’s 22nd president from 2000-2006.

The $5 million estate gift will combine with the couple’s previous gifts to Augustana of nearly $247,000 to support the Myron and Altie Domsitz Grant.

Initially established by the couple in 1999, the Myron and Altie Domsitz Grant was made “in recognition of the value of educational opportunities in a Christian environment, and in appreciation of the quality academic program and preparation in the liberal arts provided by Augustana … it is the hope of the donors that this grant will allow average students the opportunity to attend and graduate from Augustana who could not afford the tuition and fees.”

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NAVY & GOLD

Sophomore Jordan Spencer.

(Photo by Michael Brown)

DEFENDERS OF THE COURT

Senior Dan Jansen. (Photo by Jon Klemme)

Senior Casey Schilling. (Photo by Michael Brown)

Senior Alex Richter. (Photo by Jon Klemme)

NCAA DII National Champions!

(Photo by Gene Smith)

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! Viking Men Win First NCAA DII National Title in Program History

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f you followed the Augustana men’s basketball team last season, odds are you knew 2015-16 wouldn’t disappoint.

Veteran starters Daniel Jansen, Casey Schilling and Alex Richter returned this year as seniors – stronger, tougher and even more determined to leave a defining legacy.

Factor in returning guards Jordan Spencer and Adam Beyer; center Zach Huisken; true freshman John Warren; and sharpshooting senior Tanner Odegaard and, well, the Vikings appeared unstoppable.

From their pre-season victory over the University of Iowa, to winning their first outright NSIC championship, their second straight NSIC/Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship, and their first-ever regional title, it’s safe to say the Augustana Vikings had their eyes on the record books throughout the season.

Along the way, they built an unbreakable bond. Far beyond their connection as Vikings, the men called their teammates family; breaking each huddle with a collective call of “brothers.” As one fan said, “their heart, spirit and determination will live in Augustana’s history forever.”

As will their NCAA Division II National Championship – a first in program history.

Forward to the Finals After earning the No. 1 seed, the men won the NCAA Central Region Tournament on Tuesday, March 15, besting No. 2 seed Northwest Missouri State University 80-78.

After winning their first-ever regional title, the Vikings improved to 31-2 on the season, tying the program record for wins in a season which was previously set in 2014-15.

From regionals, the men made the trip to Frisco, Texas, for the NCAA Division II Elite Eight tournament, earning the tourney’s No. 2 seed.

After defeating No. 7 seed Tarleton State (Texas) 86-79, the Vikings advanced to the Final Four. There, they beat No. 3 seed Western Oregon 74-55.

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Their final match-up was against No. 1 seed Lincoln Memorial (Tennessee) on Saturday, March 26. After a hard-fought battle, the Vikings earned the victory – and the National Championship – defeating the Railsplitters 90-81. They finished with a program record 34 wins and a 34-2 record on the season.

Highlights of the 2015-16 Season • Daniel Jansen was named the 2016 National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Division II Player of the Year. A 6’9”, 240-pound forward from Orange City, Iowa, Jansen is the first men’s basketball player in Augustana history to be named National Player of the Year by the NABC. Jansen was the first at Augustana to score more than 2,000 career points and is the University’s all-time leading scorer with 2,217 points.

He also ranks fifth all-time with 845 rebounds in his career. Jansen has been named to seven All-America teams in his career and has been named the NSIC and Central Region Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons.

• Jansen and Casey Schilling were both named to the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association All-America Team. Augustana is the only school in the country with more than one player on the D2CCA AllAmerica Team.

• Schilling, a 6’6”, 215-pound forward from Ellsworth, Minnesota, scored 2,000 points in his career. He is one of just three players in program history with 900-plus rebounds and has the second most rebounds of all active players in Division II. Schilling has been named All-NSIC First Team in three straight seasons and was named the Defensive Player of the Year by the NSIC’s coaches for the second straight season in 2015-16.

• Augustana Head Coach Tom Billeter was named Coach of the Year by both the NSIC and Basketball Times.

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NAVY & GOLD

Sophomore Logan O’Farrell. (Photo by Gene Smith)

VIKING WOMEN EARN HONORS Four members of the Augustana women’s basketball team have earned Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference honors.

Sophomore Logan O’Farrell was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year while seniors Sophie Kenney and Nicole Kerkfhoff were named Second Team All-NSIC. Freshman Shelby Selland was named to the NSIC All-Freshman team.

O’Farrell also earned a spot on the NSIC All-Defensive Team.

The Vikings finished their season 24-8 after falling to the University of Sioux Falls (27-5) in the NSIC/Sanford Health Basketball Tournament, 75-57.

Sophie Kenney was awarded for her strong tournament play, being named to the NSIC All-Tournament team.

Augustana track and field concluded its indoor track season on Saturday, March 12, at the NCAA Indoor National Championship in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Senior Ryan Heuer finished seventh in the men’s 60-meter hurdle finals crossing the line at a time of 8.27 seconds, earning All-American status for the first time in his Augustana career.

Freshman Olivia Montez Brown finished ninth in the women’s pentathlon with a score of 3773.

“It was a great final day for the Augustana track and field team,” Head Coach Tracy Hellman said. “Ryan placing seventh and Olivia ninth was a great finish to the indoor season. The coaching staff is also very proud of Ryan accomplishing his first All-American award. We will reset and then look forward to a great outdoor season.”

Augustana will begin the outdoor track season hosting the Vance Butler Invitational on April 1-2.

(Photo by Gene Smith)

Senior Sophie Kenney. (Photo by Jon Klemme)

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HEUER EARNS ALL-AMERICAN HONOR AT NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP

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Sophomore Aero Amo. (Photo by Gene Smith)

AMO ADVANCES TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS Sophomore from Rapid City Makes His First Trip to the National Tourney.

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ophomore Aero Amo appeared in his first-ever NCAA Division II Wrestling National Championship on Friday, March 11, at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls.

A native of Rapid City, South Dakota, Amo held the Wrestling Coaches Association’s No. 3 spot at 184-pounds heading into the tourney.

He won his first match of the day, taking a 3-2 decision over Ashland’s Brandon O’Neill.

In the second session, Amo dropped an 8-2 decision against Jon Inman from Fort Hays State and a 9-4 decision against Huston Evans from Newberry College.

In the first match of the evening session, Inman started off with a takedown in the middle of the first period to gain the early lead. Amo quickly escaped to make it 2-1. Inman scored another takedown to get the 4-1 lead after the first period.

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Amo scored an escape in the second period to cut the lead to 7-2 but that was all Amo could get as Inman secured the 8-2 victory.

In the second match, Evans jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead on Amo in the first period. Amo escaped to trim the lead to 6-1 after the first period.

Amo quickly escaped in the second period to make it a 6-2 lead for Evans. Evans then scored a takedown to make it 8-2. Amo got an escape to make it 8-3. Amo got another escape late in the third period to make the score 8-4. With the riding time, Evans secured the 9-4 decision.

Amo finished the season with a 34-3 record, including going 23-2 against Division II opponents.

He led the team with 15 pins in 2015-16.

Earlier this year, Amo was named Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Wrestler of the Week and Super Region 3 Wrestler of the Week.

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A photo from a 1972 issue of the Mirror, the Augustana student newspaper, shows basketball teammates Bill Gross (left) and Sam Milanovich (right).

GIFT HONORS FORMER BASKETBALL STANDOUT SAM MILANOVICH $1 Million Gift Will Support New Student Activities Center, Froiland Science Complex, Endowment.

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s early planning continues for Augustana’s new Student Activities Center, University officials have announced the receipt of a $1 million gift from Dr. Fred Milanovich, a cousin of the late Augustana basketball legend Sam Milanovich ’73.

The gift, given by Fred and his wife, Linda, will name the “Sam M. Milanovich Student Fitness Center,” a state-of-the-art wellness center to be located inside the Student Activities Center. In addition to the fitness center, the new facility will feature an indoor competition track, academic spaces, a retail center, a multi-purpose recreational area and practice spaces. Portions of the gift will also fund lab space inside the new Froiland Science Complex as well as the Milanovich Family Endowment, a new initiative to support Augustana Athletics.

“Sam Milanovich was a man who stood for integrity, kindness, strength and perseverance. The idea of having a center on our campus named in his memory is simply an honor for us,” said Rob Oliver, president. “We are deeply grateful to the Milanovich family for their exceptional generosity. This is a gift that will impact countless students in countless ways – in their academic pursuits; in their personal health and well-being; and in their social development.”

Milanovich Roots Growing up in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, Fred Milanovich always looked out for his younger cousin, Sam. “In my hometown, there were nine Milanovich cousins and we all grew up within walking distance of each 32

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other,” Fred said. “Sam was almost like my little brother.”

After high school, Fred went on to the U.S. Air Force Academy and then to the University of California-Davis.

Sam took a different path, choosing to head west to a little-known school called Augustana.

On campus, he formed a close friendship with his dorm roommate and fellow basketball teammate, Bill Gross ‘73.

“I’ve always said that Sam was a master storyteller and a weaver of good times,” said Gross, who previously served as Augustana’s athletic director and now works as the University’s senior director SAM MILANOVICH of major gifts. “He had this great way about him – he could make people laugh and feel good about themselves. He was truly a positive influence for all those who knew him.”

After graduation, Sam coached basketball at high schools in Lennox and Chamberlain, South Dakota, before moving on to coach at South Dakota State University. He later coached at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, and at Dickinson State University in Dickinson, North Dakota.

In 1992, Sam passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. He left behind his wife, Chris; four children: Sam Jr. (Augustana class of 2002, who now serves as a research associate and assistant professor of pediatrics at Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls), Nick (Augustana class of 2005, who now serves as a radiologist

in Minocqua, Wisconsin), Stacey, and Elizabeth; countless friends; and numerous family members, including his cousin, Fred, who has come to learn the special place Augustana held in Sam’s heart.

The Fred Milanovich Story A stand-out basketball player in high school, Fred Milanovich was accepted to Harvard University, but changed course during his senior year and made the decision to attend the United States Air Force Academy instead.

While there, he developed problems with his vision that prevented him from flying, so he took up physics instead after a chance meeting with Edward Teller, the American nuclear physicist who led the development of the world’s first hydrogen bomb.

“A professor had approached me to say that Edward Teller was coming to town and that he was going to talk to us about putting together a physics program,” Milanovich said. “Up to that point, the Academy mostly had engineering programs. I decided that sounded like something I wanted to do. I ended up becoming one of the first students to pursue a physics major at the Air Force Academy.”

The Milanovich Family (left to right): Larry Milosh (Sam’s brother-in-law), Paul Milanovich (Sam’s brother), Milana Milosh (Sam’s sister), Dr. Sam Milanovich Jr. (Sam’s son), Chris Milanovich (Sam’s wife), Dr. Fred Milanovich (Sam’s cousin), and Dr. Nick Milanovich (Sam’s son).

“... I said, ‘Let’s do something for Sam that’s going to be really permanent here.’”

— Dr. Fred Milanovich Cousin to the late Sam Milanovich ‘73 After Milanovich graduated, Teller encouraged him to interview for a scholarship in applied science through the Hertz Foundation at the University of California, which he was ultimately awarded.

He went on to study and work at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, California, where he earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. From there, he began a 30-year-long career with LLNL where he developed new concepts and directed research and development in the areas of measurement science, specifically in support of biotechnology research. Along the way, he founded the Chemical and Biological National Security Program, an initiative that provided an integrated response to the emerging threats of chemical and biological terrorism post-9/11.

Interesting side note: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is named in part after Ernest Lawrence, a Nobel Prize winning nuclear scientist and a graduate of the Augustana Academy.

After retiring in 2008, he and a colleague, Bill Colston, founded QuantaLife, a bio-technology company that revolutionized biomolecule analysis with its Droplet Digital PCR system, a digital system designed to fight cancer and other diseases, along with drug-resistant viral infections, by precisely identifying specified molecules and mutations in the human genome. QuantaLife was acquired by Bio-Rad Laboratories in 2011 for more than $160 million.

In 2013, a new venture began to form.

“I was approached by several bright young scientists that formerly worked for QuantaLife. They had an exciting new idea and asked for my assistance in starting a new company. Later that year, 10xGenomics was born,” Milanovich said.

With 115 employees and three products about to launch, 10xGenomics has a bright future.

“We just launched a product which is going to make a big difference in how the genome is analyzed in the future,” he said.

Looking back on his career, Milanovich says he’s grateful for the opportunities he’s had.

“I wouldn’t change anything. People ask me if I’m ever sorry that I didn’t go to Harvard. I’m not.”

And, at age 71, Milanovich is showing no signs of slowing down.

“When I mentor young people, I tell them, ‘Life is going to come at you fast. You have one opportunity to prepare, so take every advantage of your time in school. Then it’s off to the races!’”

Connections to Augustana In 1993, Augustana hosted the first annual Augustana/Sam Milanovich Golf Tournament, now nicknamed “The Sammy,” as a fundraiser for Viking athletics.

Over the years, the endowment from “The Sammy” golf tournament has grown to $228,000. Investment earnings from the endowment now provide $1,000 annual scholarships to Augustana student-athletes in 16 sports.

Fred Milanovich had never attended “The Sammy,” until a few years ago.

“It wasn’t until the 20th [annual tournament] that Sam’s, sister, Milana, twisted my arm saying, ‘They have this golf tournament every year for Sam – you’ve got to come out here,’” Milanovich said.

“So I came out and I really made a connection. I could see that Sam was alive here. The testimonials were amazing. I immediately had kind of a ‘love at first sight’ thing happen. It was very genuine.

The golf tournament makes a nice amount of money – but I can see there’s a bigger reason why this golf tournament happens every year.”

Milanovich said his visit to campus, and the connection he felt, inspired him to invest in Augustana.

“I’d been doing a lot of thinking about philanthropy. Linda and I had the opportunity to build a school for an orphanage in Uganda with a friend of mine. That was immensely rewarding.

“So I started thinking about Augustana. I thought, ‘Why don’t I make an emphasis and put the exclamation behind Sammy’s name? So, I said, ‘Let’s do something for Sam that’s going to be really permanent here.’”

Milanovich said he’s excited about Augustana’s future, particularly its new master’s degree in genetic counseling, formed in connection with Sanford Imagenetics.

“Growing into a graduate program is not easy and, to obtain credibility, it takes a while. But, if you’ve got the kind of outstanding staff and administration that Augustana does, coupled with support from Sanford Health, you’ll be doing cutting-edge research and attracting top students in no time.”

Giving to Augustana, Milanovich said, has been a “wonderful experience. Augie’s future is brighter than ever!”

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HELPING FAMILIES FIND A FRESH START She’s spent her career in family law.

Meet JoMarie Alexander ‘83.

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s a young lawyer fresh out of law school, JoMarie Alexander ’83 once said there were three kinds of law she’d never practice: family law, real estate, and tax.

Today, after spending the last three decades working in family law, which also involves significant amounts of real estate and tax law, Alexander just laughs at that memory.

Reflecting on her career, she said she’s grateful to have found her calling.

“I help people at one of the most difficult times in their lives – during the break-up of their family,” she said. “I deal with divorce and custody issues. I do a lot of work with people who have been verbally, emotionally, or physically abused as part of their marriage. I also work with cases of child abuse. There’s something really rewarding about helping someone leave a situation where they’re fearful for their safety.”

From Europe to Minnesota to Sioux Falls Alexander’s family tree has roots in Italy and Slovenia.

She was born on an Air Force base in West Germany to American parents and grew up in Minnesota.

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Influenced by the civil rights movement, she was in high school when she made the decision to pursue a career in law.

“Law seemed … noble and respectable and, I was impressed with how much progress had been made through the courts in the area of civil rights.”

She discovered Augustana after competing in a high school debate tournament where she met Dr. Mike Pfau.

Pfau served as professor of communication studies and coached Augustana’s debate team.

On campus, she double-majored in government and international affairs/political science and English. She quickly made Dr. Peter Schotten her “de-facto advisor.”

“He’s the one I sought for advice. I used to stop in his office in between classes and say, ‘I have six minutes between classes, tell me what to do with the rest of my life.’ He’d look at me as if I was asking the impossible, but then he’d give me the best career advice I’ve ever received from anyone. He’s been my mentor and friend ever since.

That’s a real strength of Augustana – that students can really get to know their professors and even come to know them as life-long friends. I learned so much from my contact with professors at Augustana – not just in the

classroom – but through personal interactions, and by being involved on campus.”

In addition to offering great advice, Alexander said Schotten was an excellent teacher.

“I took every class he taught. I used to say I had a minor in Dr. Schotten,” she said, laughing. “He was so fantastic in the classroom. His classes challenged me in a way that I’d never been challenged before.

He was far better than most of the professors I had in law school.”

After Augustana, she taught English in Germany for a year before pursuing law school at the University of Minnesota.

Helping Families After earning her J.D., Alexander clerked at the Minnesota Court of Appeals for a year before accepting a family law position with a small law firm. Later she worked for another small firm that had the largest family law practice in the state, before opening her own firm in 2002.

Her practice is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and she primarily handles cases involving marital dissolutions, dissolution of civil unions or domestic partnerships, child custody, spousal maintenance, and orders for protection at the trial and appellate levels. “[Opening my own practice] was the best decision I ever made.

Early in my career, I was told by a litigator that I should go out on my own. She said it would be the best decision I’d ever make, but she said it would take me 20 years to figure that out,” Alexander said, and she wasn’t far off. “I have complete control over whom I represent and whom I don’t. I don’t ever have to take a case for someone that I feel isn’t a good parent to their children.”

As a lawyer arguing for her clients, Alexander says she strives to be well prepared, fair and compassionate.

“I help people at one of the most difficult times in their life — during the break-up of their family.”

— JoMarie Alexander ‘83 “The best doctors, the best dentists, the best everything are people who listen really well. Only after they’re done listening do they give advice. In family law, the ability to listen well is critical. There’s a big emotional component. A lot of the time, people just need to have their feelings heard and acknowledged.”

“I don’t judge my clients for decisions they’ve made that I would’ve done differently. I also work hard to educate my clients – to help them understand what’s happening with their case in a clear way that helps them understand the law and the logic behind the law.”

A divorce, Alexander said, is much more than just a legal proceeding.

Her role involves counseling clients about how to advocate for themselves and their children, how to plan for their financial future, how to budget, and, if children are involved, how to ensure the outcome is in their best interests.

In many cases, Alexander said, her clients have been the victims of domestic abuse.

“So much of an abusive relationship is based on power and control.

An abuser convinces someone they’re not smart enough to survive alone; that they can’t succeed financially; they’re crazy; whatever.

The abused never gets his or her perspective validated. I help them understand that they can leave and survive financially after,” she said.

“Sometimes it’s a matter of taking away some of that fear their abuser has worked to instill that’s not actually realistic. Other times, victims downplay the abuse as a survival/coping mechanism, and I need to help them realize how volatile and potentially dangerous their situation really is both for them and their children.” “[In every case] there’s love involved. It’s part of the cycle of power and control. Abusers aren’t abusive all the time. They’re multidimensional people who have good traits as well as frightening ones.

Some victims make excuses for the bad behavior and minimize it in their own minds. Sometimes my role is helping people see the patterns of abuse and understanding that it’s not normal to live that way,

which can be hard when a victim may have grown up in an abusive household and may not have a good frame of reference for what a normal and healthy relationship looks like. They think that everyone lives the way they’ve been living. It’s not just giving legal advice, it’s figuring out where someone is emotionally and psychologically. And, many times, it’s figuring out how to keep someone safe before and after they make the decision to leave. Leaving an abusive relationship is often the most difficult and deadly time for victims.”

Alexander said the ability to help families build a fresh start is the most rewarding aspect of her job.

“Many times, people are living in a war zone. Once the threat is removed and someone can just breathe, I see a process by where victims get stronger and healthier and are able to make good decisions about their futures.”

Recently, Alexander began working with the state of Minnesota’s Early Neutral Evaluation Program, an effort to make family law more amicable and humane.

“I work as a neutral, not representing either partner, at the very start of a case, before parties become really entrenched and things are said and done that can’t be undone,” Alexander said. “The idea is [for couples] to visit with someone for an evaluative opinion – to get an idea of what an outcome is likely to be if the case isn’t settled and goes to trial. It’s education and involves collaborative and creative problem solving. I try to help parties find an amicable and creative solution that they might not have thought of, with an end goal of an amicable divorce that leaves people better able to co-parent their children after the divorce.”

“It’s really a more humane method of doing things. In the end, both parties are more satisfied with the results and are more likely to adhere to the ruling. It keeps parents working cooperatively with each other, rather than attacking one another.”

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT Following meetings by the Augustana Board of Trustees in December, faculty tenure and/or promotions were approved.

The following faculty members have been promoted to the rank of Professor: Dr. Jetty Duffy-Matzner (Chemistry) Dr. Duffy-Matzner teaches “Accelerated General Chemistry,” “Organic Chemistry II,” and “Survey of Organic and Biochemistry.”

An organic methodologist by training, Duffy-Matzner received a presidential appointment to the United States Military Academy (West Point) but was discharged as a disabled veteran due to injury. Her Ph.D. research centered on novel antibiotics, and today her research still centers on the synthesis of novel heterocyclic compounds with some biological applications. Duffy-Matzner engages in extensive student-faculty research, with one of her advisees recently selected for a national “Computers in Chemistry” division workshop. She is active in the American Chemical Society. Duffy-Matzner holds a bachelor’s degree from Boise State University and a Ph.D. from the University of California-Davis.

Dr. Lisa Grevlos (Music) Dr. Grevlos directs the Augustana Opera Workshop Theatre program, conducts Angelus, the Augustana Women’s Choir, and teaches in the areas of applied voice, vocal pedagogy, singer’s diction, and choral music education. Grevlos performs frequently as a soloist in the region for recitals, operas, oratorios, and musical theatre. Along with her duties at Augustana, she is president of Sounds of South Dakota, Inc., a non-profit organization whose mission is to connect South Dakota professional vocal artists in opera, recital, and musical theatre performance with regional audiences. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Augustana University, a master’s degree from Northwestern University and a doctorate of arts degree from the University of Northern Colorado.

Dr. Joel Johnson (Political Science/Government & International Affairs) Dr. Johnson teaches courses in “Political Philosophy,”“Politics and Literature,” and “Asian Politics.” The primary focus of his research is 18th and 19th century American political thought. He is the author of “Beyond Practical Virtue: A Defense of Liberal Democracy through Literature” (University of Missouri Press, 2007); “A Connecticut Yankee in Saddam’s Court: Mark Twain on Benevolent Imperialism” (Perspectives on Politics, March 2007); and “Disposed to Seek Their True Interests: Representation and Responsibility in Anti-Federalist Thought” (The Review of Politics, Fall 2004). Johnson serves as advisor to the department’s honors program and to the Committee of Undergraduate Political Scientists (C.O.U.P.S.). He currently serves as the Stanley L. Olsen Chair of Moral Values. Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, a master’s degree from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Dr. Paul Nesheim (Music) Dr. Paul Nesheim conducts the Augustana Choir and Chamber Choir, and teaches courses in choral conducting, choral methods, voice, and church music. Prior to his appointment at Augustana, Dr. Nesheim taught on the faculties of Minnesota State University-Moorhead, Concordia College in Moorhead, Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin, and Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He has held positions conducting high school, church, and community choirs in South Dakota, Minnesota, California, Iowa, Wisconsin, Arizona, and North Dakota. He is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and in July of 2013, he began a term as president-elect of South Dakota ACDA. He is a frequent adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor for contests, professional conferences, and all-state festival and honor choirs.

He has conducted in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, and Slovakia, and at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis

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and on two occasions at Carnegie Hall in New York. Nesheim is a published composer and the author of “Building Beautiful Voices,” a book of vocalization methods and materials published by the Roger Dean Publishing Company. Nesheim holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College, a master’s degree from Arizona State University, and a doctorate of musical arts from the University of Arizona. Along with his promotion to professor, Dr. Nesheim was also granted tenure.

Dr. Margaret Preston (History) Dr. Preston is a social and economic historian who also focuses on issues of gender in modern Ireland, Britain and India.

Published in 2004, her book, “Charitable Words: Gentlewomen, Social Control, and the Language of Charity in 19th Century Dublin,” focuses upon the intersections of race, gender, class and social control within the language of charity. She has also published her research in The Historian, Eire-Ireland and New Hibernia Review. A recipient of a 2005 grant from the University of Notre Dame, Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, Preston has also looked at the role of Irish women in the Dakotas. Preston teaches courses on modern Europe, Ireland, World War I and “Western Civilization.” She is actively involved in student-faculty research, with one of her students recently winning the prestigious Lynn W. Turner Prize from Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honors Society. Preston holds a bachelor’s degree from Loyola University New Orleans, a master’s degree from University College Dublin and a Ph.D. from Boston College.

Dr. David Sorenson (Economics) Dr. Sorenson teaches introductory “Statistics” and “Introduction to Human Geography” and “Principles of Economics.” His research interests include analyzing lending risk for banks and bank groups, economic impact assessment using control group methods, the regional implications of the growth and decline in economic sectors, population estimation and projection, spatial effects of the incidence of crime, and congressional voting behavior. As Augustana’s director of assessment, he has played a key role in developing and administering the institution’s college-level assessment plan. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota, a master’s degree from the University of Iowa, and a Ph.D. from West Virginia University.

The following faculty members have been granted tenure and have been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor: Dr. Pilar Cabrera (Modern Foreign Languages) Dr. Cabrera teaches Spanish at different levels as well as offering courses in Spanish-American literature and Latin American culture. Her current research is on the connections between literature, photography, and mass culture. She is particularly interested in the Cuban diaspora and the Cuban author Virgilio Pinera and his powerful influence on contemporary Cuban literature. Cabrera also has experience teaching language and literature courses in Mexico City, her native town. She has taken students on a number of study abroad trips to Cuba during the January term. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Mexico City’s largest university, UNAM, a master’s degree from the University of Amsterdam, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Nathan Grau (Physics) Dr. Grau specializes in nuclear and particle physics. He is a member of the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory and is a past member of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider.

Grau has taught “Modern Physics,”“Astronomy,”“Thermal and Statistical Physics,”“Atoms to Stars,” and introductory programming courses. Recent highlights from Grau’s research work include the observation of dijet asymmetry from quark-gluon plasmas and the publication of an article (co-authored with an

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Augustana student) exploring a new method of searching for tetraquark states. At Augustana, Grau serves on the Information Technology Task Force. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Millikin University and a Ph.D. from Iowa State University.

Dr. Jennifer Gubbels (Biology) Dr. Gubbels teaches “Introductory Biology,”“Human Physiology,” “General Physiology,” and “Immunology.” Her research focuses on mechanisms of metastasis and immune escape in epithelial ovarian cancer. In addition, Gubbels is working with Dr. Ann Pederson (Religion) and colleagues from Gettysburg Seminary on a project focusing on the integration of science into seminary education, one of only 10 such projects funded through a grant from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In addition, Gubbels has a strong interest in effective science pedagogy and regularly shares her teaching strategies with her colleagues. Gubbels holds a bachelor’s degree from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Laura Hybertson (Business Administration & Accounting) A South Dakota native, Hybertson brings years of experience as a senior tax associate to the classroom. Her further professional practice includes audits of employee retirement plans and nonprofits. Hybertson teaches “Principles of Accounting,”“Income Tax” and other accounting courses. In addition, she publishes on teaching methodology in accounting and recently played a leadership role in developing Augustana’s new Master’s in Professional Accountancy program. Hybertson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of South Dakota and is a certified public accountant.

Dr. Matthew Pehl (History) Dr. Pehl specializes in modern U.S. history, with a particular interest in religious, urban, and working-class history. His recent publications include “The Remaking of the Catholic Working Class: Detroit, 1919-1941,” in Religion and American Culture 19, no. 1 (Winter 2009) and “‘Apostles of Fascism,”‘Communist Clergy,’ and the UAW: Political Ideology and Working-Class Religion in Detroit, 1919-1945,” in the Journal of American History (September 2012). His book, “The Making of Working Class Religion: Class, Culture, and Christianity in Detroit, 1910-1970,” is forthcoming from the University of Illinois Press. Pehl teaches courses on post-Civil War U.S. history, the history of religion in the U.S., and methods for history majors. He also serves as faculty coordinator for the program in American Studies and served as one of the First Year Seminar pilot instructors. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree from Utah State University, and a Ph.D. from Brandeis University.

Dr. Russell Svenningsen (Music) Dr. Svenningsen conducts the Collegiate Chorale, teaches music theory, and has a studio of voice students. An active performer, he has appeared as a featured soloist with orchestras and opera companies locally and around the world. Recent performances include presentations of Schubert’s song cycle, “Winterreise,” around the Midwest, performances with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, and appearances with the Sounds of South Dakota, a local opera company. Svenningsen is also in demand as a clinician and guest conductor and regularly travels to work with choirs of many different types around the U.S. Most recently, he was a guest artist-in-residence at the Roxbury Choral Invitational, a choral festival in New Jersey now in its 23rd year, where he was privileged to hear and work with 24 choirs from five states. Svenningsen holds a bachelor’s degree from Concordia College, a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a doctorate of musical arts from Boston University.

NOTES FROM THE GREEN

Professor Engages Area Youth in Computer Programming Associate professor of physics Dr. Drew Alton received a NASA Project Innovation Grant from the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium to partner with Harrisburg North Middle School in order to bring computer programming, robots and drones to middle school students.

The objective of these grants is to provide seed funding for meritorious projects that align with NASA and SD Space Grant Consortium goals and that show potential to develop into long-term, sustainable programs.

Alton and Augustana physics students will help instruct more than 300 middle school students during the 2015-16 academic year.

“This program will engage students in hands-on programming projects at the middle school and undergraduate level,” Alton said. “It will encourage collaboration across school boundaries and encourage mentoring experiences for undergraduates and K‐12 students. Our goal will be to increase student interest in programing and increase the availability by using that interest to encourage schools to offer more programing courses.”

The project includes a sixth grade unit on programing Lego EV3 robots, and an eighth grade unit programing drones, and an Augustana Society of Physics Students (SPS) group will learn to program both the robot and the drones.

Plans to continue the project for at least three years and to put a computer programming curriculum in place at the high school are also in the works.

“Our hope is to garner interest from our middle school program that would ultimately materialize into an advanced programming course at the high school, potentially focusing on introductory languages such as Python and/or Java,” Alton said.

Additionally, Alton hopes this program, strategically placed in middle school at a critical time for capturing student interest in STEM, will encourage more females to pursue careers in the sciences.

Alton says the program is still getting off the ground.

The first sessions at North Middle School in Harrisburg began with a talk from Michelle Hruby, an electrical engineer working for Rockwell Collins, who spoke about the importance of computer programming in engineering while Alton spoke about its importance in the sciences.

In addition, middle school teachers spent a Saturday trying their hands at programming the Lego robots.

They are developing a curriculum and preparing to evaluate how much the students learned, but also how much the students enjoyed the experience.

“I’m grateful to Nancy Weidenbach, Leah Howes, and Julie Alton,” Alton said. “They and other teachers are the ones putting in lots of effort.”

Fiscal Year Report: Augustana Reports $19.2 Million in Gifts Received Earlier this year, Augustana University released its Gratitude Report, an online summary celebrating more than 5,000 alumni, parents, friends, churches and organizations who gave $19.2 million in cash and deferred gift commitments to the University between Aug. 1, 2014, and July 31, 2015 (the institution’s fiscal year).

“It’s difficult to put into words how grateful we are to our donors, whose selfless acts of giving help to ensure that an Augustana education remains within reach for the 1,800-plus students we serve,” said Bob Preloger, vice president for Advancement. ”The last fiscal year was an extraordinary one in Augustana’s history.

We continued to make a difference in the lives of our students, we recorded breakthroughs in our scientific and social research, enriched the hearts and minds of thousands through the performing and visual arts, and forged strong connections in our community. We welcomed newcomers and said goodbye to dear friends. We recently completed Phase I of the Froiland Science Complex, the largest building project in our 156-year history, took home athletic championships, climbed in influential national rankings, and strengthened our connections abroad. The philanthropic support of our donors helped make these achievements possible.”

The majority of the gifts received were used to provide scholarships and financial aid to the young thinkers and dreamers who call Augustana’s 100-acre campus home.

In addition to scholarships, gifts received during Augustana’s 2014-15 fiscal year helped support: • Advances in technology across campus.

• Undergraduate research opportunities throughout campus and across each academic division.

• Construction of the Froiland Science Complex, phase one of which is now open for classes.

• The recruitment and retention of our professor/scholars.

• The development of new centers on campus including the Student Success Center, the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and the Office of Graduate & Continuing Education.

VIEW THE REPORT ONLINE AT WWW.AUGIE.EDU/REPORT

Augustana’s SVP for Academic Affairs Named President for Muskingum University Dr. Susan Hasseler, senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Augustana University, has been named president for Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio.

Hasseler will remain at Augustana through this academic year. She assumes her new role at Muskingum July 1.

Hasseler joined Augustana in 2012 and during that time led many meaningful and important initiatives, said President Rob Oliver.

“On behalf of Augustana, I thank Dr. Hasseler for her fine

service to our faculty, our students, and our campus community. We celebrate her accomplishments and we wish her all the best as she prepares to begin her new role,” Oliver said.

Hasseler said she will miss the Augustana community.

“Although I am very honored to have been selected as Muskingum’s next president, it will not be easy to leave Augustana,” Hasseler said. “There are so many exciting opportunities, and the wonderful people here have become a part of my heart. It truly is a place for possibilities.”

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NEWS FROM THE HUDDLE

Hokenstad to speak at 2016 Commencement Dr. M.C. “Terry” Hokenstad, Augustana Class of 1958 and distinguished university professor at Case Western Reserve University, will deliver the Commencement Address at the ceremony recognizing the Augustana Class of 2016 on Saturday, May 21, at the Sioux Falls Arena.

Hokenstad is the Ralph S. and Dorothy P. Schmitt professor at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences and serves as professor of Global Health in the University’s School of Medicine.

Long active in international organizations, Hokenstad has served as a consultant to the United Nations and was a member of the United States Delegation to the U.N. World Assembly on Ageing in 2002. He has been president of the North American and Caribbean Region of the International Association of Schools of Social Work and has served as both treasurer and membership secretary of IASSW. At the national level, he has been president of the Council on Social Work Education, the national accrediting body for schools of social work, and chair of the International Committee for the National Association of Social Workers.

Hokenstad has written extensively on international themes. His publications include nine books and numerous articles, chapters and monographs, in the fields of comparative social welfare, care of the elderly, and international social work practice and education. Hokenstad has served as a Fulbright research scholar at the Institute of Applied Social Research in Oslo, Norway; as a visiting scholar at the National Institute of Social Work in London; and as a senior Fulbright lecturer at Stockholm University in Sweden.

He taught and carried out research as a Canterbury fellow at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, and as an academic visitor at the London School of Economics. He has led delegations of social workers and social work educators to China, Cuba, Japan, Russia, and South Africa, and has lectured and led workshops in those countries, as well as in India, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and throughout Europe.

In addition, he has directed affiliation programs funded by the United States Information Agency with universities in Sweden and Hungary.

Global aging has been a special focus of Dr. Hokenstad’s career. He is a member of the Non-governmental Organization Committee on Aging at the United Nations, and in 2000, was appointed to serve on the UN Expert Committee responsible for drafting the International Plan of Action on Aging.

Born in Nebraska, Hokenstad earned his master’s degree from Columbia University and his Ph.D. from Brandeis University’s Florence Heller Graduate School for Advanced Studies in Social Welfare. He also holds a Certificate in Educational Management from Harvard University.

In recognition of his many professional achievements, Augustana will present Hokenstad with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during the Commencement ceremony.

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Augustana-Sanford Genetic Counseling Graduate Program Receives National Accreditation The new Augustana University-Sanford Health master’s program in genetic counseling has received national accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC). The program is recognized as one of only 32 such master’s programs nationwide, and the only one in the Dakotas.

Created through a collaborative partnership with Sanford Imagenetics, the program is led by Augustana’s Quinn Stein, MS, CGC, a certified genetic counselor and associate professor.

Over the last two years, Stein has worked to help develop the academic program and assemble the team of scientists, researchers and clinicians who will teach its courses and help recruit and select an annual cohort of students from around the nation.

Upon their completion of the two-year program, students will have met the requirements necessary to sit for the American Board of Genetic Counseling certification exam. From there, Stein said, career opportunities will be plentiful.

“Genetic Counseling is an emerging field with a high rate of job satisfaction. Within the profession, new opportunities are emerging every day,” Stein said.

“Students who graduate from this program will go on to become genetic counselors pursuing careers in pediatric genetics, reproductive genetics, cancer genetics, cardiovascular genetics, ophthalmic genetics or genetics in primary care. Some will work for clinical genetics laboratories writing reports or working in utilization management.

Some will go on to become medical-science liaisons for genetics research or testing companies. Others might work for insurance companies or academic medical centers. The possibilities are endless,” he said.

Stein said the program’s curriculum coincides with the mission of Sanford Imagenetics, an initiative designed to integrate genomic medicine into primary care for adults.

It’s expected that graduates of the program will be astute communicators, scholarly professionals, and engaged members of their communities.

Nationwide, there’s a high need for genetic counselors, according to Gene Hoyme, MD, chief of Genetics and Genomic Medicine at Sanford Health and medical director of the new program.

“With the explosion of information about the human

The AUGUSTANA

genome and personalized medicine, there is an acute need for genetics professionals who can counsel patients about genetic testing and its implication for health care.

This new program will help produce genetic counselors to fill this need in the region and throughout the country,” Hoyme said. “We are proud to build on the long history of educational and research collaboration between Augustana University and Sanford Health to bring this unique program to fruition.”

In addition to its partnership with Sanford Imagenetics, Augustana’s program will also feature a consortial relationship with University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), through which selected students will have the opportunity to spend the second year of the program studying at UC San Diego’s campus and working in clinical rotations throughout San Diego. In addition to UC San Diego, other thought leaders from the San Diego community have given input into the program’s design and intend to provide student learning opportunities. These world-class institutions include Rady Children’s Hospital – San Diego, Rady Pediatric Genomics and Systems Medicine Institute, the Naval Medical Center San Diego, Kaiser Permanente, and Illumina.

In its accreditation letter, ACGC praised Augustana and Sanford Imagenetics for developing a robust program.

“Your application reflects a comprehensive program of study with appropriate opportunity for student development. You and your colleagues are to be commended for adding to the training opportunities for genetic counselors,” the ACGC wrote.

Dr. Susan Hasseler, senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Augustana, said the program represents a significant effort to educate and train individuals who will be at the forefront of emerging advances in medicine.

“For Augustana University, the opportunity to build a program that will develop leaders in genomic medicine who will go on to serve in communities near and far is truly exciting,” Hasseler said. “Students who come through this program will experience classroom, clinical and laboratory instruction from some of the nation’s finest researchers. They’ll also have unmatched opportunities for hands-on experience in the most advanced, sophisticated labs in existence today. We’re looking forward to welcoming our first students in fall 2016.”

DEAR AUGIE INSPIRED BY “DEAR PHOTOGRAPH,” ALUMNI HAVE BEEN TAKING PHOTOS FROM AUGUSTANA’S PAST IN THE PRESENT. SHARE YOUR #DEARAUGIE STORY TODAY.

Viking Days coronation, late 1950s, at Mikkelsen Library. (Photo: Katie Foutz ‘00)

Bowling in the 1950s, as seen in the Back Alley today. (Photo by Tracey Fredrick ‘06)

1960 and #VikingDays 2015. (Photo by Gina Verdoorn ‘05)

Old Main and East Hall in a 1992 Admission fact book and today. (Photo by Katie Foutz ‘00)

Augustana Vikings Football cheerleaders, 1969, on the field. This spot is now in the middle of Commons Circle. (Photo by Katie Foutz ‘00)

The background behind this sculpture has changed from the barracks to the Madsen Center following this 1988 photo of EDDA Yearbook staffers. (Photo by Pete Knapp ‘96)

ALUMNI NEWS

CLASS NOTES

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

CLASS OF 2015 Carolyn Johnson was honored by Phi Alpha Theta, The National History Honors Society, with a national award for her paper “ The Sisters of Cheer: A Consideration of South Dakota Women on the World War One Home Front.”

THE

2010s

Jessica Koupal is an assistant to the accounting representative at Jaffer Inc. in Wagner, South Dakota.

Matthew Stoffel is working on a new full-length play, while his first is being prepared by the Black Hills Playhouse for a staged-reading.

He recently created Monstrous Little Theatre Company with other young artists to deliver thought-provoking productions to the Sioux Falls area, and is now a creative content specialist at 9 Clouds in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 2014 Hannah Buecksler and Dustin Struckman were married on July 11, 2015.

Chi Ngo began working as a PR executive for CJ CGV in Hanoi, Vietnam, in September 2015.

Austin Schmidt and Shelby Rusche ’16 were married on June 27, 2015.

Amanda Strenge married Brian Wynia on June 20, 2015.

A Message from the Alumni Office Greetings to my Augustana family, After 11 years serving Augustana as the Director of Alumni Relations, I am excited to announce that I have accepted a new position at the University.

Beginning March 1, I will be working with current students in the Student Success Center as the Director of Internships.

In this new role, I will assist students in finding powerful experiential learning opportunities where they will gain important skills and build a professional network which will lead to increased opportunities for full-time employment upon graduation. One of the things I’m most excited about is leveraging the relationships I’ve built over the years to facilitate contacts between generous alumni and talented students. I look forward to learning more about the opportunities that exist in your places of work where we can endeavor to place an Augustana student.

Carrie (Hemeyer) Zachariahs and husband, Andre, welcomed a son, Israel Hamilton, on July 20, 2015.

Brittany Brown has been working as a traveling nurse in California, and recently started a job at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego working in the Definitive Observation Unit.

CLASS OF 2013 Aaron Bauer and Amanda DeHoogh were married on Aug. 1, 2015.

Chelsey (Durland) Cook and Gates Cook ‘11 welcomed a baby girl, Cora, on Dec. 6, 2015.

Alison Champine and Johnny Christopherson were married on May 30, 2015.

Brittany (Lipetzky) Drey and husband, Justin, welcomed a little girl, Liberty Ann, on Oct. 25, 2015.

Liz (Orris) Nilson is an ELL paraprofessional at Kinsey Elementary in Sioux Center, Iowa.

Brandee (Van Beek) Fluit is working as a circulating RN in the operating rooms at Avera Surgery Center. Brandee and her husband, Wylan, now have three girls, with the most recent daughter, Ravennah, being born in June 2015.

Sanna (Horsley) Strenge and Adam Strenge ’09 welcomed a son, Bridgewater Adam, on Dec. 28, 2015.

Dylan West accepted a position at the University of Colorado-Boulder as the academic advisor for the Environmental Design and Environmental Studies programs.

CLASS OF 2012 Megan (Goeden) Atkins passed away on Sept.

27, 2015.

Chris Borchardt, who is in his first year as a band director at Brandon Valley High, was chosen by his peers as the Outstanding Young Music Educator of the Year in South Dakota.

40

Jennifer Johnson is living in Omaha, Nebraska, working as an account coordinator at Redstone Communications.

Isaac Krueger is the marketing project manager for Capstone Publishers. He and wife, Alexandra (Burke) Krueger, reside in Minneapolis.

Michelle Matthies married Derek Westenberg on Aug. 8, 2015.

Lisa (Karst) Myhra is a fourth grade teacher with the Bryan Independent School District in Bryan, Texas.

The AUGUSTANA

As I’ve met and visited with many of you over the years, you’ve shared your enthusiasm for the alumni relations position at Augustana. You’re right! It’s an amazing job – and now it’s open for a new person to take on the role with energy and excitement! If you consider yourself a true Viking – if you love Augustana and bleed blue and gold, this job might be for you!

Do you love to meet people – make Augie connections – extol the benefits of the Augustana Advantage – share stories of student and alumni success – celebrate Viking Days – cheer on our new graduates? Then I encourage you to check out the job description at www.augie.edu/position to learn more about this exciting role. You’ll be a part of a dedicated advancement staff that works to “make every day a great day to be an Augustana Viking!”

Yours, for Augustana, Mary Toso ’90

Lindy Pliska married Eric Dubbelde on Sept.

12, 2015. Lindy is a full-time ER nurse at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake, Iowa, and also works in the ER at the Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls.

Luke Wiersma and wife, Sara, welcomed a son, Tate Andrew, on April 18, 2015.

CLASS OF 2011 Gates Cook and Chelsey (Durland) Cook ‘12 welcomed a baby girl, Cora, on Dec. 6, 2015.

Martha (Barrett) Ewing and husband, Todd, welcomed a daughter, Felicity Ina, on Aug. 18, 2015.

Jesi (Palank) Hendricks is now a college success navigator at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, Nebraska.

Rachael (Hoogendoorn) Kramer and Chase Kramer ’08, continue to sing in the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra chorus and are part of the Schola Cantorum at St. Joseph’s Cathedral.

Jorgen Lervick is currently pursuing a dual JD/ MBA degree from the University of Minnesota Law School/Carlson School of Management and expects to graduate in 2018.

Janell Meyer married Josh Tabbert on Aug. 16, 2014.

ALUMNI NEWS Jay Sherer married Michaela Sherer in Ireland in June of 2015.

Chris Shorter and Nicole (Olson) Shorter welcomed baby boy, Collin, to their family on Aug. 24, 2015.

Robin (Bennett) Tyler and husband, Brad, welcomed a daughter, Paige Lily, on Sept. 8, 2015.

CLASS OF 2010 Sonia Halbach has published her first novel, “The Three Sisters (The Krampus Chronicles: Book One).”

Tyler Hayzlett and Justina (Berkness) Hayzlett welcomed a daughter, Sophie Caroline, on April 3, 2015.

Meredith Lind graduated from the University of Sioux Falls in May 2015 with a master’s degree. She was also a Fredrikson School of Education servant leadership award recipient.

Erin Mangen married Adam Planting on May 2, 2015.

Jenna (Wolterman) Manggaard graduated with a Master’s of Science in educational leadership and an autism certificate from Southwest Minnesota State University in May 2014. She and her husband, Jason, welcomed a daughter, Lucille Rita, on Feb. 20, 2015.

Amy (Hulstein) Strenge and Nathan Strenge ‘09 welcomed a daughter, Bea, on Sept. 17, 2015.

Michael Stutelberg is currently a research fellow at the Mayo Clinic. He completed his Ph.D. studying chemistry at South Dakota State University in 2015.

THE

2000s

CLASS OF 2009 Dane Bloch and Alanna Grabouski were married on Oct. 3, 2015. Dane is the executive director at The Community Outreach in Sioux Falls.

Rachel DeNeui and Victor Larsen were married on June 20, 2015.

Miranda (Bolen) Fox and Brian Fox ‘05 welcomed a son, Oliver Henry, on July 13, 2015. Miranda also completed her master’s degree from Augustana University in the fall of 2015.

Kaylene (Leaver) Inama received an adultgerontology primary care nurse practitioner degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in May 2015. She is now working full-time as a nurse practitioner with the Avera Sacred Heart hospitalist team.

Regan (Tekavec) McAthie and husband, Tyler, welcomed a son, Palmer James, on Dec. 2, 2015.

Regan was also promoted to associate athletic director at Concordia University, St. Paul.

Angela Shubert married Dag Dejene on May 22, 2015, in Vail, Colorado. They currently live in Austin, Texas.

Adam Strenge and Sanna (Horsley) Strenge ’13 welcomed a son, Bridgewater Adam, on Dec. 28, 2015.

Nathan Strenge and Amy (Hulstein) Strenge ‘10 welcomed a daughter, Bea, on Sept. 17, 2015.

CLASS OF 2008 Carrie (Burns) Biondi and Luke Biondi ‘06 welcomed a baby girl, London Kay, on Aug. 29, 2015.

Ashley (Mercer) Bohlen is the new program assistant at Prairie Family Business Association.

Heidi (Lenort) Vetter and husband, Mike, welcomed a daughter, Madeline, on June 22, 2015.

Marie (Drury) Villa and Eric Villa ‘06 welcomed a son, Micah Dru, on April 15, 2015.

Chris Wentzlaff has accepted a new position within Thomson Reuters and will be in charge of legal offices in Washington D.C., Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Louisville. He will be relocating to Washington, D.C. CLASS OF 2006 Luke Biondi and Carrie (Burns) Biondi ’08 welcomed a baby girl, London Kay, on Aug. 29, 2015.

Ashley (Holst) Christianson and husband, Devin, welcomed a son, Easton, in December 2015.

Megan (Paulson) Burlingame and husband, Dave, welcomed a daughter, Tessa Rose, on Jan. 28, 2015. She joins big brothers, Eli (7) and Noah (5).

Anders Davidson and wife, Stacy, welcomed a son, Elijah Eric, on July 11, 2015.

Tracey Fredrick earned her master’s degree from Concordia University, St. Paul, in Dec. 2015.

Chase Kramer and wife, Rachael (Hoogendoorn) Kramer ‘11, continue to sing in the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra chorus, and are part of the Schola Cantorum at St. Joseph’s Cathedral.

Aaron Krumvieda and wife, Stephanie, welcomed a baby girl, Katalein Marie, on Jan. 2, 2016.

Nora Olson and husband, Samuel Smolnisky ‘11, are teachers in Ismir, Turkey, at the American College.

Ryan Wilkison is currently employed with Wells Fargo in Sioux Falls. He sings with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and is in a band with three Augustana music alumni.

CLASS OF 2007 Megan DeNeui married Stacy West on July 10, 2015, in Sioux Falls.

Betsy Homan married Matt Schuster on Nov. 14, 2015.

Lucas Kramer and Kelly Spillman-Kramer welcomed their second son, Ethan James, on Sept. 10, 2015.

Amanda (Woockman) Lenhoff was honored

by McGladrey, LLP as their 2015 Working Mother of the Year.

Alex McCoy and Leigh (Willers) McCoy, along with big brother, Jack, welcomed Henry Alexander McCoy into their family on Nov. 12, 2015.

Jenna (Johnson) Peters and husband, Eric, welcomed a daughter, Layla Marie, on Sept. 13, 2015.

Canaan Petersen and Kelli (Kappenman) Petersen welcomed a son, Franklin, on April 8, 2015. He joins big brothers, Teddy and Quincy.

Dustin Randall and Diana (Ringen) Randall ‘05 have two sons, Collin Charles, born in 2011, and Winston William, born in 2014.

The AUGUSTANA

Paula (Miller) Lauer and husband, Aaron, welcomed a son, Luke, on Oct. 28, 2015.

Alexa (Nagel) Linton, husband Curtis, and daughter Eva June (4), welcomed Olive Kay on May 15, 2015. Alexa completed the nursing program at Augustana in May 2015, and is working at Sanford Health as a nurse in The Birth Place.

Livia (Fisher) Nelson and husband, Josh, welcomed a son, Jett Alexander, on March 3, 2015.

Stuart Ness is the IT coordinator for Mrs. Gerry’s Kitchen. He and wife, Christie (Schneider) Ness ‘08, live in Albert Lea, Minnesota.

Kimberly Sonnichsen-Skatvold and husband, Casey, welcomed a daughter, HattieMae Sue, on Dec. 21, 2015.

Jennifer (Giannonatti) Toscana and husband, Anthony, welcomed their son, Atlas, on Nov. 15, 2015, and daughter, Aurora, on Nov. 18, 2015.

Eric Villa and Marie (Drury) Villa ‘07 welcomed a son, Micah Dru, on April 15, 2015.

CLASS OF 2005 Gregory Asplund graduated from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona, in November 2015 with a master’s degree.

Brian Fox and Miranda (Bolen) Fox ’09 welcomed a son, Oliver Henry, on July 13, 2015.

James Gordon and Laura (Martin) Gordon welcomed son Camden Charles, on Aug. 14, 2015.

Jason Leach and Bridget (Prins) Leach welcomed a daughter, Emerson, on Feb. 23, 2015.

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ALUMNI NEWS Jennifer Lovik married Ryan Wiese on Aug. 22, 2015. She is employed with Avera as a therapist.

Megan (Erickson) McLarnon and husband, Martin, welcomed a daughter, Orla Edith, on June 29, 2015.

Diana (Ringen) Randall and Dustin Randall ‘07 have two sons, Collin Charles, born in 2011 and Winston William, born in 2014.

Kylie (Tamke) Scallon and husband, Sean, welcomed a daughter, Maren Elaine, on Nov. 25, 2015.

Stacia (Wagner) Walters teaches seventh grade English language arts at Mill Creek Middle School in Lenexa, Kansas. She and husband, Drew, welcomed their first baby, Reece, on July 21, 2015.

CLASS OF 2004 John Ness, 55, of Scottsdale, Arizona, passed away on Feb. 16, 2015.

CLASS OF 2003 Janet (Eisfeld) Caven and husband, John, welcomed a daughter, Anna Louise, on Sept.

8, 2015.

James “Andy” Devitt and Michelle (Moore) Devitt welcomed a son, James Edison, on April 17, 2015.

Nathan Golz and Heidi (Bratland) Golz welcomed a daughter, Alice Elizabeth, on July 26, 2015.

Tami (Lanners) Peterson and husband, Josh, welcomed their fourth child, a daughter, Olive Marie, on Dec. 7, 2015.

AU IS COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU! Join us at fun events in these cities to gather with fellow alumni, share memories, and hear updates and news from University leaders.

March 31: Watertown, South Dakota April 18: Brookings, South Dakota April 20: Portland, Oregon April 21: Seattle, Washington April 28: Rochester, Minnesota May 1: Madison, Wisconsin May 10: Rapid City, South Dakota June 14: Denver, Colorado June 28: Omaha, Nebraska June 29: Lincoln, Nebraska Learn more and register at www.augielink.com/events professor of nursing at Northwestern College, and a nurse practitioner at Orange City Area Health System.

Thayne Munce, sports scientist for Sanford Health, has been selected as a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

CLASS OF 2000 Dan Gerrietts is the senior pastor at Trinity Lutheran church in Mason City, Iowa. He and wife, Molly (Fosness) Gerrietts ‘98, have two daughters, Maggie (10) and Leah (6).

CLASS OF 1997 Suzie O’Meara Hernes has accepted a new position as the vice president of development for the Good Samaritan Society Foundation in Sioux Falls. She and her husband, Eric, continue to live in Sioux Falls with sons, Quintin and Spencer.

Amy (Johnson) Torkelson and husband, Kyle, welcomed a son, Tayne Philip, on Oct. 26, 2015.

Jenny Hallenbeck married Derrick Orr on Jan. 16, 2016, in Bismarck, North Dakota. Jenny has been serving as the senior pastor at McCabe United Methodist church since July 2014.

CLASS OF 2002 Billy Delfs and wife, Leslie, welcomed a son, Beau, on Aug. 31, 2015.

Jack Jacobson has been elected to a second term as president of the Washington, D.C., State Board of Education.

Carrie DeLong Parrish and husband, Matthew DeLong, welcomed a son, William Parrish DeLong, on May 18, 2015. He joins three-year-old big sister, Eleanor.

Heather (Martinson) Jones and husband, Doug, welcomed a daughter, Faith Kasandra, on Aug. 12, 2015. Heather is a first grade teacher at Chula Vista Elementary.

Tayt Rinehardt and wife, Nathalie, welcomed Leif Gordon to their family on July 22, 2015.

Carmen (Risty) Kastens and husband, Lonnie, welcomed a son, Andrew, on Sept. 29, 2015.

CLASS OF 2001 Jillian (Brown) Klein and husband, Dave, welcomed a daughter, Piper Marie, on Sept.

26, 2015.

Marie (Liggett) Tuhy and husband, Jon, welcomed a daughter, Callie Marie, on June 24, 2015.

Michelle (Menke) Snook and husband, Perry, are happy to announce the arrival of Aiden Christopher, born Oct. 16, 2015. He joins big sister, Ava. Michelle (Scott) Van Wyhe published a twopart article in the Journal of Christian Nursing, “Vocation of Faith: The Influence of Mother Teresa on Christian Nursing.” She is an assistant

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THE

1990s

CLASS OF 1999 Sonja (Dean) Ferrell and husband, John, welcomed a daughter, Emileigh Clare, on Nov. 12, 2015.

CLASS OF 1998 Molly (Fosness) Gerrietts assists with musical productions at the local children’s theater in Mason City, Iowa. She and husband, Dan Gerrietts ‘00, have two daughters, Maggie (10) and Leah (6).

The AUGUSTANA

Karen (Hess) Saxvik, 73, of Sioux Falls, died on Dec. 21, 2015, surrounded by loved ones. Karen earned her master’s degree from Augustana.

Kristen (Thomas) Zeller is keeping up with a busy pediatric surgery practice at Wake Forest, in North Carolina, as well as being a mom to three awesome kids.

CLASS OF 1994 Corey Camp has joined BSN Sports, the nation’s leading marketer, manufacturer and distributor of sporting goods apparel and equipment.

CLASS OF 1993 Julia Plucker welcomed a daughter, Georgia Darlene Dietz, on Nov. 10, 2015.

CLASS OF 1992 Lisa (Forde) Gully is the mom of three boys and two grandsons and has been happily married for 24 years.

Leslie (Mellgren) Arnold-McGuire is an occupational therapist at Billings Clinic in Billings, Montana, where she also enjoys spending time fishing, camping and rockhounding.

Meredith Musegades is the director of development and recruitment at Wapiti Medical Group.

ALUMNI NEWS Jeff Partridge is serving in the South Dakota Legislature as a state representative for District 34 in Rapid City. When he’s not in Pierre representing his district, Jeff provides financial advice at Partridge Financial, where he is the owner.

Stephanie Peterson moved to Brandon, South Dakota, in 2014, after living in the Washington, D.C., area since graduating from Augustana.

Jeanne (Hieb) Saadi accepted a position as the community outreach coordinator for Santa Barbara County Animal Services in July 2015, and moved to California with her husband, Aaron. She completed her master’s degree in organizational leadership in November 2015.

CLASS OF 1990 Scott Boyens is the new chief medical officer for Sanford International Clinics. While continuing to serve his patients as a family practice physician, he will also manage medical care for Sanford International Clinic locations in the U.S. and abroad.

THE

1980s

CLASS OF 1987 Robert Fitch was named the executive director of the Children’s Museum of Siouxland, in Sioux City, Iowa.

CLASS OF 1985 Katherine (Talley) Coughlin passed away on Sept. 22, 2015.

Shelly (Lage) Gehring has been approved for ordination as an ELCA pastor.

IN MEMORIAM: MARY BETH BLEGEN ‘65 NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR Mary Beth (Wait) Blegen, class of 1965, passed away peacefully at age 72 on Jan. 25, 2016, surrounded by family.

She is survived by her three children: Kristy (Dan) Grigsby, Mark (Kristin) Blegen, and Sarah (Nick) LaBelle; her magnificent seven grandchildren: Jack, Sawyer, Amelia, Krin, Lyv, Kaia and Siri: her sister, Jeanne (Colin) Conner and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Rachel Wait, her brother, Curtis Wait and her nephew, Erik Wait.

Blegen was born and grew up in Chamberlain, South Dakota, and graduated from Augustana in 1965.

She started teaching in Worthington, Minnesota, in 1967 and taught there for 30 years. In 1995, Blegen was named Minnesota Teacher of the Year and was named National Teacher of the Year in 1996.

After three years of working in Washington, D.C., for the Department of Education, she returned to her beloved home of Minnesota and continued the work she loved, inspiring teachers and leadership in St. Paul Public Schools.

CLASS OF 1977 Debra (Hanson) Fahlberg passed away on Oct. 3, 2015.

John Hallberg died on Sept. 28, 2015.

Robert Swift passed away on Oct. 30, 2014.

CLASS OF 1976 Kenneth Dahlberg, 62, passed away on Dec. 21, 2015.

CLASS OF 1983 Jeffrey Hayzlett authored a new book, “Think Big, Act Bigger: The Rewards of Being Relentless.”

CLASS OF 1975 Darwin Husby is retired after 33 years of teaching reading and English to middle school students. He now sings at nursing homes.

Jon Sogn was appointed as a circuit judge in the state of South Dakota’s second judicial circuit.

CLASS OF 1973 Lon Alness, 64, died on Oct. 20, 2015.

CLASS OF 1982 Jody (Ketchum) Briola, 56, of Aurora, Colorado, died Dec. 27, 2015, at her home.

CLASS OF 1972 Mona (Rames) Hansen, 65, of Sioux Falls, passed away on Oct. 25, 2015.

CLASS OF 1981 Martha (Simons) Hofer recently retired from Trinity Lutheran Church, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin after 12 years as the parish nurse.

Wayne Olson is a singer in a vocal ensemble, and is also a song leader/cantor at his church.

CLASS OF 1980 Grace Forbord is working as an RN/case manager for a hospice company. She has also been the organist at First Congregational UCC in Brainerd, Minnesota, for 24 years.

THE

1970s

CLASS OF 1979 Dean Johnson, 58, passed away on Sept. 8, 2015.

CLASS OF 1978 Jean (Dobbs) Kurtenbach, 76, passed away at the Brookings Hospital on Dec. 24, 2015.

Peter Stadem is currently ministering at church through men’s Bible study, and teaching Sunday school. He and his wife, Kari, are parents to seven children, and he is raising turkeys.

CLASS OF 1971 James Anderson passed away on Sept. 8, 2015.

Michael Houk has been named the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry Alumni Association’s Outstanding Educator.

David Olson has a session named after him in the 2016 Canadian National Perinatal Research Meeting entitled “The Professor David Olson Trainee Debate on Criteria for the Diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes.”

CLASS OF 1970 James Klein has been the minister of music at American Lutheran Church in Prescott, Arizona, for 26 years.

Delpha (Holland) Mattison, 83, passed away on Oct. 3, 2015.

The AUGUSTANA

Virginia (Johnson) Vraney is enjoying her eighth year of retirement after teaching physical education in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, for 25 years.

THE

1960s

CLASS OF 1969 Bruce Spars, 68, of Sioux Falls, died on Nov. 1, 2015, at the Dougherty Hospice House.

CLASS OF 1968 Milton Anderson, 70, passed away on Oct. 24, 2015.

Peter Gugisberg and his wife, Ellen (Hokenstad) Gugisberg ’70, made a DVD from their slides and pictures of the 1966 Augustana Choir European tour to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year.

CLASS OF 1967 Collette (Anderson) Halford, 71, of Chippewa Falls, town of Lafayette, died Aug. 31, 2015, at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

CLASS OF 1966 Catherine (Carpender) DeCourcy died Dec. 13, 2015, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Marlys (Anderson) Hastings, 71, died on Nov. 2, 2015.

Gary Pressler, 72, passed away on Nov. 20, 2015.

CLASS OF 1965 Burton Augst passed away on Dec. 5, 2015, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Sally (Welch) Day passed away on Oct. 6, 2015, at Luther Manor nursing home.

Mary Beth (Wait) Blegen passed away on Jan. 25, 2016.

CLASS OF 1964 Ronald Carlson, of Annandale, Minnesota, died Sept. 15, 2015.

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ALUMNI NEWS Charis Rowe, 73, died on Jan. 4, 2016.

CLASS OF 1963 Phyllis (Ehresmann) Jacobson lives in Spicer, Minnesota and continues her work with Mount Carmel Ministries in Alexandria, Minnesota, and with Green Lake Lutheran Ministries in Spicer as the Planned Giving Coordinator.

Mary (Eidsness) Ehrichs passed away Oct. 16, 2015, in Aurora, Colorado.

Dwane Ellis, 79, died Sept. 21, 2015.

Dorothy (Lee) Swanburg and husband, Larry Josephson ’59, recently spent two weeks teaching English in Latvia on a short-term mission trip.

Ted Kessinger is preaching, advising student athletes and coaches, and working out daily.

Janet (Olson) Lokken passed away on Jan. 27, 2016, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Elaine (Pearson) Young has retired from her practice in clinical and surgical dermatology and is doing volunteer work at the Verde Valley Medical Center with the Internal Medicine Residency Program. Elaine and her husband, Howard, continue to live in Sedona, Arizona.

CLASS OF 1957 William Horeis, 80, passed away Nov. 9, 2015, at his residence in Harlingen, Texas.

CLASS OF 1962 Howard Bich was appointed executive director of the South Dakota Senior Games. He has been involved as an athlete, and has served on their board and as treasurer for the organization.

Mary Ann (Niedringhaus) Lund, 75, of Kalispell, Montana, passed away on Dec. 1, 2015.

Virginia (Schmidt) Odney is a retired teacher currently living in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1960 James Ageton, 80, passed away at Sanford Hospice Cottage in Sioux Falls on Oct. 14, 2015.

Alice (Sternberg) Birkeland, 85, passed away Nov. 26, 2015, at the Sanford Luverne Hospice Cottage.

Lyle Rossing has returned to singing with the American Lutheran Church choir in Sun City, Arizona. He just completed his autobiography entitled, “Putting My Finger On It.”

THE

1950s

CLASS OF 1959 Della (Johnson) Hagen, 79, died Dec. 18, 2015, at the Avera Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls.

Sam Hatlestad was recognized at the South Dakota Synod Assembly in May 2015 on the 50th anniversary of his ordination into the Lutheran ministry.

Dean Hofer passed away on May 1, 2015.

Larry Josephson and wife, Dorothy (Lee) Swanberg ’58, recently spent two weeks teaching English in Latvia on a short-term mission trip.

Joyce Pedersen died on Sept. 28, 2015.

CLASS OF 1958 Milton Archer, 82, passed away on Oct. 4, 2015, at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake, Iowa.

Dean Brand of Ft. Myers, Florida, died peacefully on Aug. 20, 2015, surrounded by family.

CLASS OF 1956 Josephine (Stowell) Erps passed away on Nov. 11, 2015.

Ramona (Hippe) Jaeger, 80, passed away on May 24, 2015.

Anna (Seim) White received the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s Distinguished Service Award. She has been involved with the IMA since 1967.

CLASS OF 1955 Belva (Olson) Scarbrough, 81, passed away on Sept. 17, 2015.

CLASS OF 1954 Nina (Vanderzee) Erickson, 96, died on Oct. 15, 2015, at Bethany Retirement Living in Fargo, North Dakota.

Byrl Logan, 87, passed away on Sept. 30, 2015.

Charles W. Petersen, 88, of Sioux Falls, passed away peacefully on Dec. 27, 2015.

THE

1940s

CLASS OF 1949 DuWayne Slaathaug, 90, of Pierre, South Dakota, passed away Nov. 20, 2015.

CLASS OF 1948 Arlene (Gruseth) Howard, 89, of Adams, Minnesota, passed away on Oct. 31, 2015, at the Adams Health Care Center.

Nila (Johnson) Maursetter died Aug. 6, 2015.

CLASS OF 1947 Gwendolyn (Oakland) Bjorkstam of Seattle, Washington, passed away Feb. 11, 2015.

CLASS OF 1946 Robert Hall, 91, passed away on Oct. 25, 2015, at Oakwood Village in Madison, Wisconsin.

Beauty (Hamway) Centra Hauge, 91, passed away on Oct. 24, 2015.

CLASS OF 1945 Lyle Black, 92, formerly of Mitchell, South Dakota, passed away on Dec. 17, 2015, at Iowa Methodist Hospital surrounded by his family.

Audrey (Stark) Graves died peacefully at her home on Dec. 9, 2013.

Marilyn (Moen) Geiver, 83, of Rapid City, South Dakota, passed away on Nov. 24, 2015.

CLASS OF 1944 Alden Hovda, 92, passed away on Oct. 8, 2015.

CLASS OF 1953 Ardyce (Hovland) Elmquist, 85, passed away Dec. 4, 2015, at the Prairie Lakes Hospital in Watertown, South Dakota.

Clinton Nielsen, 92, passed away Sept. 14, 2015.

CLASS OF 1952 Gaylen Dell, 85, passed away Sept. 26, 2015, at Sanford Medical Center.

CLASS OF 1942 Milton Plucker, 95, died in Caryville, Tennessee, on Dec. 18, 2015.

Joyce (Haugom) Johnson, 85, of Valley City, North Dakota, died Nov. 5, 2015, in Fargo, North Dakota.

CLASS OF 1941 Dolly (Anderson) Paterson passed away surrounded by her loving family, on Aug. 29, 2015.

Geraldine (Griffin) Nold passed away on Nov. 6, 2015.

CLASS OF 1940 Agnes (Tonning) Nelson, 96, passed away on Sept. 21, 2015.

CLASS OF 1951 Delmar Sando died on Aug. 6, 2015.

CLASS OF 1950 John Brooks, Sioux Falls, died Oct. 2, 2015, at Southridge Health Care.

Robert Jones passed away on Nov. 6, 2015.

Wayne Knutson, 89, died Dec. 7, 2015. Dr. Knutson was recognized with the Augustana Alumni Achievement Award in 1992 for his work in theatre and arts education. He was appointed Distinguished University Professor by the South Dakota Board of Regents in 1986, and was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2001.

Nicholas Petrakis, 93, died at home in San Francisco, California, on Dec. 15, 2015.

THE

1930s

CLASS OF 1936 Marian (Swanson) Schmidt Williams died on Nov. 23, 2015.

CLASS OF 1934 Beatrice (Johnson) Doheny, of Sarasota, Florida, died July 25, 2015.

George Evenson, 104, passed away Oct. 24, 2015.

CLASS OF 1931 Blanche (Nelson) Granner passed away on Sept. 4, 2015.

RECOGNIZING REUNION CLASSES ENDING IN 6 AND 1

VIKING DAYS OCTOBER 14-16, 2016 SHOW YOUR

WITH AN

LICENSE PLATE! www.augie.edu/augieplates

SAVE THE DATE!

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE 2001 SOUTH SUMMIT AVENUE SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA 57197

PAID PERMIT NO. 5 SIOUX FALLS, SD

DOORWAY TO THE FUTURE

The entrance to the new Froiland Science Complex. Phase one, a 41,000-square-foot new addition at the corner of 33rd Street and Summit Avenue is now complete. Work is underway on phase two, a complete renovation of the existing Gilbert Science Center. An open house is planned for Viking Days weekend (Oct. 14-16) and dedication activities are planned for the 2016-17 academic year. View the progress at www.augie.edu/science.

(Photo by Matt Addington ‘95)