Välkommen WITH NEW EYES
I remember the first campus snow of my first year of my presidency. I walked along Eckman Mall in awe of the campus’s transformation. I had been to campus often as a Gustie parent and as a member of the Board of Trustees, so I knew the beauty of this place in all seasons. Still, that first winter of my presidency remains special. One day I walked out of my office in the Edgar M. Carlson Administration Building and it was fall, autumn leaves drifting from the sky. Then, the white flakes. The next day, I woke to the hill as a whole new world, covered in a clean blanket of snow. I fell in love with our campus all over again. This year on the hill, as we cautiously emerge from a global pandemic, the move toward winter is both a new beginning and a return home. The return of in-person classes has reminded us all of the power of learning in community. The ability for students to work collaboratively with faculty and staff has reinforced
Scott P. Anderson ’89, MBA (chair), Senior Advisor, TPG Capital Catherine Asta ’75, JD, Attorney at Law Grayce Belvedere-Young, MBA, Founder and CEO, Lily Pad Consulting Rebecca M. Bergman (ex officio), President, Gustavus Adolphus College Suzanne F. Boda ’82, Former Senior Vice President, Los Angeles, American Airlines Robert D. Brown, Jr. ’83, MA, MD, Staff Neurologist, Professor of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, and John T. and Lillian Matthews Professor of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Kara K. Buckner ’97, President/Chief Strategy Officer, Fallon Worldwide Janette F. Concepcion, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Concepcion Psychological Services Edward J. Drenttel ’81, JD, Attorney/Partner, Winthrop & Weinstine Bruce A. Edwards ’77, Retired CEO, DHL Global Supply Chain John O. Hallberg ’79, MBA, Retired CEO, Children’s Cancer Research Fund John M. Harris ’92, PhD, Associate Director, Protiviti Mary Dee J. Hicks ’75, PhD, Retired Senior Vice President, Personnel Decisions International
competitions have brought forth our students’ tremendous potential. Our campus has begun to feel more like itself.
Keith N. Jackson ’89, JD, Assistant General Counsel, Aon
And this year, we come to winter with new eyes, filled with gratitude for the things we missed last year. For our sophomores, the Class of ’24, this academic year is their first with in-person classes, sports, fine arts performances, and co-curricular activities. That class, as well as the rest of our campus community, is experiencing a Gustavus that, after 18 months of disruption, feels new, special, and wonderful. Last year, we often could not be physically together, and yet we learned how to stay connected while physically distant. The theme of our 2021 Christmas in Christ Chapel service, “We Shall Go Forth Singing,” reminds us to move forward with a song in our hearts no matter the circumstance. This year, I will welcome all of winter, the way snow falls on the Granlund sculptures, the way the Evelyn Young Dining Room, filled with students, glows as I leave my office in the evening, the way the trees trimmed with lights brighten Eckman Mall with cheer. This winter, I will feel blessed. I hope you will too.
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | WINTER 2021
B OA R D O F T R U S T E E S
The Rev. Alicia A. Hilding ’08, Co-Pastor, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, New Prague, MN; President, Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations
the best of Gustavus liberal arts. In-person fine arts performances and athletic
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G U S TAV U S A D O L P H U S C O L L E G E
Yours in community,
The Rev. Peter C. Johnson ’92, Pastor of Service and Small Groups, St. Andrew Lutheran Church Paul R. Koch ’87, Managing Director–Private Wealth Advisor, Senior Portfolio Manager, Koch Wealth Solutions, RBC Wealth Management Dennis A. Lind ’72, Chairman, Midwest Bank Group, Inc. Jan Lindman, MBA, Treasurer to the King, The Royal Court of Sweden The Rev. Dr. David J. Lose, Senior Pastor, Mount Olivet Lutheran Church Gordon D. Mansergh ’84, MA, MEd, PhD, Senior Behavioral Scientist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (serving in a personal capacity) and Past President, Gustavus Alumni Association Mikka S. McCracken ’09, Program Manager, WW CSPXT, Amazon Jan Ledin Michaletz ’74, Past President, Gustavus Alumni Association Thomas J. Mielke ’80, JD, Retired Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Kimberly-Clark Corporation Bradley S. Nuss ’97, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Nuss Truck & Equipment Marcia L. Page ’82, MBA, Founding Partner, Värde Partners The Rev. Dr. Dee Pederson, (ex-officio) Bishop, Southwestern Minnesota Synod, ELCA
Rebecca M. Bergman President, Gustavus Adolphus College
The Rev. Dr. Dan. S. Poffenberger ’82, Senior Pastor, Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church Karl D. Self ’81, MBA, DDS, Associate Professor, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry Kent V. Stone ’80, Retired Vice Chairman, U.S. Bancorp The Rev. Heather Teune Wigdahl ’95, Senior Pastor, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church
