GRATITUDE

G iving IN THE TIME OF THE Pandemic

Are we in dark times? Yes. Are we shining through it? Yes. Nationally, philanthropic giving has increased during the pandemic. So has giving to Gustavus—in a state already known for its generosity. When the College tells its pandemic story decades from now, it will include this: Gusties gave.

Those who made a gift of $60 or more to the Gustavus Fund on Give to Gustavus Day (Oct. 29) received this mask. A record $544,285 was given that day, a seven percent increase over last year. Earlier, in July, the College received an anonymous $45,000 gift that significantly lowered the cost of a COVID Safety Care Package— including face masks and hand sanitizer—for 2,200 or so returning students. A call to the Gustie community to cover the rest of the cost was answered in full in about a week.

HOW DO WE LEARN TO GIVE?

It doesn’t come naturally. “You need to share” is an instruction parents constantly give their toddlers. “No, you have to give that back” is also often used.

The Gospels’ teaching on giving speaks directly to our innate tendency to clutch tight at what is ours. “Anyone who has two tunics should share with one who has none,” we are told. But that’s just John the Baptist speaking, the locust-eating radical. What does Jesus have to say on the matter? “Go, sell all you possess,” he tells the rich young man, “and give to the poor.”

For most of us, the lessons of giving come from more immediate teachers. Not many toddlers respond positively to the words “You need to share,” but as children grow, they do learn to give, partly by seeing it modeled. Those who give generously as adults point to habits of generosity they observed in their family’s household––bringing food to the food shelf, slipping an envelope into the collection basket, volunteering for a community organization.

Studies show that adolescents and young adults are more likely to give or volunteer if their parents have made donations or served in the previous year. Researchers find that in families where giving is modeled, children learn that donating money and time is not simply something they do as an act of service. Instead, philanthropy is part of who they are. They see their personal talents as something to be used for the greater good.

Thankfully, the lessons of giving stick. People who give regularly do so not because they’re compelled to, but because they want to. When the 2017 federal tax law raised the standard deduction, the effect was, as many expected, a drop in giving. Without the benefit of claiming donations as an itemized deduction, many people rolled back their giving in 2018. Total philanthropy was essentially flat, the number of individual donors declined. But the following year, total philanthropic giving in the United States reached an all-time record, breaking the mark set before the tax law changes. Though it’s a nice benefit, Americans’ desire to give does not correlate with a tax break.

We learn to give when we’re young. But we need to be reminded of these lessons. When asked what prompts them to make a gift, more than a third of Americans say they respond to a letter or email from an organization. Twenty percent of us are led to give after reading a news story about an area of need. Almost 40 percent of those who give are spurred to do so by a request from a family member or a friend. And more than 50 percent of us give to a cause or organization with which we have a personal connection.

Just as we learn to give from the example of our families, we are reminded to give by the people and communities that are most meaningful to us.

And amidst the tumult of 2020, we saw how people put the lessons of giving into practice, across the country and in the Gustavus community.

MINNESOTA’S LEADERSHIP

The state of Minnesota and the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul outrank almost all others for philanthropic giving.

TOP5 TOP5

STATES FOR GIVING CITIES FOR GIVING

1 Utah

2 Minnesota

3 Maryland 4 Oregon 5 Ohio

Source: wallethub.com

1 Minneapolis 2 St. Paul

3 Portland, OR 4 Salt Lake City, UT 5 Vancouver, WA (the largest suburb of

Portland, OR)

GIVING DURING THE PANDEMIC

After the record-breaking philanthropy totals of 2019, initial statistics for last year show even greater giving in the United States. In the second quarter of 2020—the months when COVID swept around the world—total giving increased more than 12 percent over the previous year, with the biggest jump coming in the number of small donations. During the first half of 2020, total philanthropy for COVID relief passed $7.5 billion.

Minnesota maintained its standing as one of the most generous states in the country. According to statistics from 2018, individual Minnesotans give $5 billion per year while private and corporate foundations give another $2.2 billion. Areas that receive the most support from Minnesota donors and foundations are education, human services, and health care. During 2020, this giving increased. Nearly two-thirds of grantmaking organizations planned to increase their giving, according to the Minnesota Council on Foundations. Individual donors set a record on November 19, 2020, by giving more than $30 million for Give to the Max Day. Directed to over 6,000 different organizations, the donations were the most ever in the event’s 12-year history.

At Gustavus, supporters have done their part in last year’s surge of philanthropy. From the immediate, generous support for the Student Emergency Fund last spring to October’s record-setting totals for Give to Gustavus Day, alumni, parents, and friends of the College met the challenges 2020 brought to Gustavus and its students.

People across the country have shown their generosity in other ways as well. Nearly half of all Americans took steps to support local businesses and service workers last year, purchasing takeout and giftcards and supporting housecleaning and daycare providers. Although not counted with the donations to nonprofit organizations, this philanthropy has been essential to people whose work was disrupted by COVID.

We all have stories of how we first learned to give. Those who give to Gustavus understand the importance of supporting the teaching, learning, research, and growth that happens at a liberal arts college. Because of these gifts, Gustavus can offer its students what they need to move forward as the world moves forward.

U.S. AND GUSTIES RESPOND TO CRISIS

Though the pandemic affects us all in difficult ways, giving in the U.S. and giving to Gustavus actually increased in 2020 over 2019.

U.S. GIVING GIVING TO GUSTAVUS

7.5%

Increase in all giving in the U.S. during the first half of 2020 compared to the first half of 2019

12.6%

Increase in the number of U.S. donors across all philanthropical giving

7%

Increase in total gifts and pledges to Gustavus from March 2020 through January 2021 compared to the same period in 2019–2020.

7.5%

Increase in the number of unique donors to Gustavus, March 2020 through January 2021 compared to the same period in 2019–2020

WHY WE GIVE: Mike Johander ’99

“THE TOURING EXPERIENCE GALVANIZED LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS AND A CURIOSITY ABOUT THE WORLD.”

My path to Gustavus was a whirlwind. Pardon the pun, but as a tornado-era Gustie, I couldn’t help myself.

After two wonderful but humbling years at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, I was ready for a change. I was passionate about music, but I realized that a career as a professional musician was not the right track for me.

The summer after my sophomore year, I met Jon Kietzer when he hired me for his charter boat company on Lake Minnetonka. Jon is not only a professional musician and a successful entrepreneur, but also a longtime Gustavus supporter who has generously endowed the cantor position at Christ Chapel. Naturally, when I told Jon I was considering transferring to a new school and asked for his thoughts, he said only one word: “Gustavus!”

Meanwhile, my lifelong friend and rhythm section partner Ben Anderson ’98 was about to begin his junior year as a Gustie. Ben had arranged numerous gigs on campus for our band, Inflatable Date, so I experienced firsthand the warmth we all know and love about the Gustavus community. When I asked him what he thought about my move to Gustavus, he used the term “no-brainer.”

The final proof that I was destined to be a Gustie came when my dad and I visited campus and met the band director, [professor emeritus] Doug Nimmo. “Johander…from Duluth?” Dr. Nimmo asked. My dad lit up. As it turned out, the Nimmos and the Johanders had lived blocks apart in Duluth, and my dad and Doug’s older sister had run in the same circles.

Days later, I had a room in Pittman Hall, a schedule full of diverse classes, and seats in the Gustavus Wind Orchestra under Dr. Nimmo, the string orchestra under Dr. Julian Shu, and Dr. Steve Wright’s Gustavus Jazz Lab Band. A whirlwind, indeed!

My time at Gustavus was punctuated with life-changing experiences, none more impactful than the music ensemble tours. While touring is certainly about performing great concerts, it is also about the richness of the downtime and homestay experiences. On different tours, I had the opportunity

When he was a kid, Johander’s parents quietly

covered the cost of summer band camp for students

whose families needed help. Now, as manager of Echo Bay Investments in Excelsior, his own gifts have helped the Gustavus Friends of Music establish the touring endowment. The endowment allows students to gain the life-changing opportunity of ensemble touring.

to admire the beauty of a Nordic sunrise from a ferry crossing a Norwegian fjord, hear one of my favorite guitarists in a tiny club in Stockholm, record in a Nashville recording studio, and engage in late-night shenanigans with my bandmates and some locals in rural Louisiana. The touring experience galvanized lifelong friendships and a curiosity about the world.

It is an honor for me and my wife, Holli, to contribute to the Gustie community. If there is a corner of Gustavus that you’re especially passionate about, those are areas where giving can go a long way.

WHY WE GIVE: Deb Johnson Rosenberg ’79 and Bob Rosenberg

“BOB AND I FIRST LEARNED HOW TO GIVE FROM WATCHING OUR PARENTS.”

I found out just how much money my parents gave from helping with their tax returns in high school. When I got my first job, my dad decided that I should learn how to fill out a tax return. I figured out my own taxes, and then he had me help with theirs. I was stunned at how much they gave. When I had my first job out of college, they gave away more than I made. Still, today, they donate their Social Security benefits every month.

When Bob and I got married, we put these lessons of giving into practice. We heard from so many organizations, it would have been easy to give to a million different charities. We had to sit down and decide: What are our priorities? We chose a few organizations that we felt passionate about, and then gave larger gifts that would have more of an impact.

Gustavus came back into the picture for us when our daughter made the decision to enroll. I had been a bit disconnected, but we rediscovered the College in our visits to Saint Peter. We enjoyed sporting events and the Nobel Conference. I got involved with Gustavus Women in Leadership, the mentoring program, and the alumni board. I was even a guest lecturer in Kathi Tunheim’s classes a few times.

When it was time for my 40th reunion, I was asked to be on the planning committee. A Class of 1979 scholarship fund had been started earlier, but it was not as large as we wanted. We decided that our class should commit to making this fund more meaningful. We were excited to make this a key part of our reunion communications, and the new donations have allowed us to award scholarships to students.

Bob and I also made a planned gift to Gustavus at that time. The kids were grown and out of the house, so we decided to revisit our will. We were intentional about putting charitable

A Donor Advised Fund helped the Rosenbergs focus their giving. “We were fortunate that several

companies where I previously worked allowed me

to buy stock,” Deb says. They took some of the appreciated stock and established the Fund. In addition to other benefits, it has allowed the Rosenbergs to fund a Gustavus Heritage Scholarship.

gifts in our estate. We have been fortunate, and our kids won’t need all of our money. We wanted to make sure that when we’re gone there will be something going to organizations we care about, Gustavus included.

We feel very fortunate that we are able to give, especially after last year. We’re so thankful we didn’t experience job loss and loss of income. Our expenses have actually gone down, since I work from home and we can’t travel. As a result, we are happy to continue living out the giving lessons we learned when we were younger.

TO GIVE IS A GIFT ITSELF

PRESIDENT BERGMAN ON THE LESSONS SHE’S LEARNED ABOUT GIVING AS A CHILD AND AS A COLLEGE PRESIDENT: “IT’S A JOY TO GIVE, AND EVEN BETTER TO SHARE IN OTHERS’ JOY.”

Who taught you to give?

RB: My parents. One of my earliest memories dates back to about age five. My dad was pastor of a Lutheran church in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania. Every Sunday, during the service, my mother would let me put her offering envelope in the basket. I was also responsible to contribute part of my weekly allowance to the Sunday school offering. Each week, I would put a dime in the little printed envelope, bring it with me to Sunday school, and drop it in the basket. I learned that we give our time and talent, too. My mother was a traditional pastor’s wife––she was a full-time volunteer involved with various projects in the church and the community. She was my role model for giving time. My dad was my model for giving talent. Owing to his speaking ability and leadership talents, he was always being invited to help somewhere.

Did your parents explain their reasons for giving?

RB: My parents never talked much about giving. They modeled generosity and service to others through the example of their good works, not their dinner conversations. In fact, I only knew what was inside their offering envelope because I saw my dad write the check. By the time I was in high school, my parents’ example was pretty well ingrained. When I was applying to college, I was struggling to find a topic for my essay. My dad must have picked up on that. He left a Bible on my desk opened to a passage in Luke—“To whom much is given, much is required.” That passage resonated with me and became the theme for my essay.

Where are their lessons about giving in your life today?

RB: Once I was in college, I found ways to volunteer in the community. From those experiences, I learned that giving of yourself brings great joy. It brings you closer to God. This is still true for me when I give to causes I care about and communities I live in. Like my parents did for me, I have always tried to be a positive role model for my children. Tom [Bergman, her husband] and I modeled giving but rarely made it a topic of dinner conversation. My kids did put a quarter in the Sunday school envelope each week. I guess it’s true that we’re destined to repeat what our parents did. In this case, it’s been a positive. When people remark on a gift that Tom and I have made to Gustavus [$4 million, in support of the Gustavus Acts Strategic Plan], I tend to get uncomfortable. I don’t particularly like having it pointed out. I believe that being generous is part of being a good person. Our giving comes straight from the heart.

As a college president, how have your ideas about giving changed?

RB: I had been involved in fundraising campaigns in the past, thinking strategically about the future direction and key priorities for an organization. But now, as president, I have the privilege of sitting with people as they talk about making gifts to the College. I hear their life stories and learn about the interests and passions that motivate their philanthropy. It’s an honor to be at the table with someone as they decide to give to Gustavus. I’m smiling now because these are some of the most precious moments I have had as president. It is inspiring to see alumni and friends of the College invest in today’s students and the College’s future success.

When my dad was retired and my parents were giving electronically, he would take the offering plate and put his hand in it. He didn’t allow it to just go by. This small gesture was his way of demonstrating that the offering is a meaningful and important act of worship.”

GUSTIES

HELP US UNDERSTAND YOU

TELL US WHAT’S WORKING, WHAT’S NOT, AND HOW WE MIGHT BEST CONTINUE TO SERVE YOU AS YOU NAVIGATE YOUR LIFE AND CAREER. TAKE OUR 2021 ALUMNI SURVEY.

In 2016, thousands of Gusties just like you answered the first-ever Gustavus Alumni Survey. In doing so, you helped us understand how you characterize your time as a student, and how connected to the College you feel as a graduate. The information helped inform changes in our programming and volunteer opportunities to best meet you where you are.

We’re inviting you to share your thoughts again. Some questions will be the same. New questions will ask about learning outcomes, communication preferences, and career mobility. We’re also expanding our demographic questions to gain a better understanding about how those factors influenced your experience as a student and impact your relationship with Gustavus today.

REUNION WEEKEND

Despite progress toward inoculation against COVID-19, continued travel disruptions and restrictions on gatherings make our plans to hold reunions on campus unfeasable this summer. Reunion Weekend 2021 (scheduled for June 4–6) will not take place in person. We believe reunions are not the same without hugs, handshakes, and Gustie hospitality, and we look forward to the time when we can accomplish all of that while keeping our community safe.

2021 Survey We want to hear from you!

Alumni Association

Check your email for your invitation to the survey or visit gustavus.edu/alumni/ survey and share your thoughts before May 31. As always, responses are confidential.

ALUMNI COLLEGE WHEREVER YOU ARE

Learn synchronously (in real-time) and asynchronously (at your leisure) online with religion professor emeritus Darrell Jodock and music professor Ruth Lin, among others. Find them on Facebook: /GustavusAlumni.

UPCOMING VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING

Gustie Virtual Faire: a virtual event showcasing Gustie-owned businesses | Life Beyond the Hill: a series for our recent alumni featuring topics like financial literacy, wellness, homeownership, and more | The Dive: deeper conversations about social justice based on the Learning for Life @ Gustavus podcast series. Visit gustavus.edu/alumni/ to learn more.

Michael Bussey ’69, (president) senior consultant, Donor by Design Group, LLC

J. C. Anderson ’82, (vice president) partner/ attorney, Lathrop GPM

Dan Michel ’90, (treasurer) director, digital media, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Esther Mulder Widmalm-Delphonse ’08, (secretary) attorney, labor law,

United States Department of Labor

Rick Barbari ’91, head of enterprise data management, US Bank

Mark Bergman ’79, president and owner,

Bercom International, LLC

Mary Booker ’91, executive director, student financial services, University of

Delaware, Newark

Sarah Schueffner Borgendale ’06, managerrecruiting, inclusion and diversity,

Fredrikson and Byron, P.A.

Jen Brandenburg ’02, pharmacist,

Sara Schnell Elenkiwich ’10, sourcing manager,

Sparboe Farms

Bruce Ensrud ’90, wealth advisor,

Thrivent Financial

Alissa Fahrenz ’13, analyst,

Excelsior Energy Capital

Amy Zenk James ’94, sales and outreach director, Meadow Woods Assisted Living

Peter Kitundu ’92, vice president, chief compliance and privacy officer,

Blue Cross Blue Shield

Todd Krough ’85, senior investment officer,

Tealwood Asset Management

Bill Laumann ’66, retired schoolteacher/ librarian, Albert Lea ISD #241

Jessica Martinez ’15, academic dean for grade 9, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School

John Moorhead ’68, retired co-owner,

Lindskoog Florist

Jace Riggin ’16, admissions officer,

Macalester College

Deb Johnson Rosenberg ’79, director of retirement plan consulting, Stiles Financial

Services, Inc.

Mary Anderson Rothfusz ’83, retired attorney

Mark Scharmer ’77, retired executive vice president, insurance operations,

Federated Mutual Insurance Company

Daniel Sellers ’06, executive director,

Ciresi Walburn Foundation for Children

Vidya Sivan ’02, digital communications specialist, Harvard Kennedy School

Marcia Stephens ’73, retired financial advisor

Matt Swenson ’06, director of CEO communications, Cargill, Inc.

Ann McGowan Wasson ’82, homemaker, volunteer

CLASS NEWS and information to be included in the Alumni section of the

Quarterly should be sent to: Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement, Gustavus Adolphus College, 800 West College Avenue, Saint Peter, MN 56082-1498

alumni@gustavus.edu | 800-487-8437 | gustavus.edu/alumni

MY GUSTAVUS

Martin Lang ’95

SPEECH COMMUNICATION AND ENGLISH MAJORS "I DIDN'T LEAVE GUSTAVUS A FLAG-WAVING GUSTIE. MY PERSPECTIVE ON GUSTAVUS REALLY CHANGED AFTER I STARTED GRAD SCHOOL."

I am a first-generation college student, so when I was applying to schools, I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into. I wanted to play soccer at a big state school, but I soon found out that wasn’t going to happen. At the same time, I had a friend who went to Gustavus who convinced me to apply by telling me about Hello Walk, which sounded like a good way to meet people. I was pretty shy and introverted, so the small community was really appealing to me.

I began to find my way at Gustavus through soccer, and I made friends here and there while living in Sohre, but I really began to have a better understanding of who I was through academics, especially through the English and communication studies departments.

I knew I wanted to be a writer, and professors like Ann Brady really challenged me to be my best. I have memories of being in her class and seeing my papers getting marked up by her TAs. Deborah Downs-Miers was another professor who was willing to tolerate all my questions and never made me feel embarrassed for asking. I’m a feminist because of Deborah Downs-Miers.

Similarly, my communication studies adviser, Bill Robertz, made me feel like I had a place to fit in. He took me seriously which helped me take myself seriously. Relationships like these were the things that helped me see that there was this interconnectedness among people at Gustavus that gets talked about on campus tours but is hard to recognize until you are up to your elbows in it.

I didn’t realize until I left college how good I had it—maybe excluding the bitter winds of J-Term and the smell of Potato Bar which is burned into my olfactory memory forever. After teaching an FTS this fall semester, I found myself back in the shoes of the first-year students in my class. It made me think of the lessons I learned at Gustavus and now carry with me: be open to hearing critiques, have humility, and only good things come from asking questions as long as you are open to the answers.

More Than One Story

“My perspective on Gustavus really changed after I started grad school,” Lang says. “I was glad to have been exposed to a social justice lens. I started to recognize my privilege as a white man.” His most important takeaway from Gustavus is the awareness that, “my way of seeing the world isn’t everyone’s way of seeing the world.” He's been a professor of communication studies since 2005.