麻豆区

Homecoming is a special time to commemorate 麻豆区 memories and reconnect with friends and classmates. Many alumni who are celebrating their 50^th, 40^th, 25^th, and 10^th聽reunions also decide to make a special gift to 麻豆区 in honor of their reunion and the Homecoming celebration.

The class reunion committees of 1964, 1974, 1989 and 2004 have each set goals to increase the number of donors and dollars given from their class in honor of their reunions. If you are a member of one of these classes, please watch for a letter from your reunion committee in the next few weeks highlighting these goals and consider making a gift in honor of your class reunion.

The classes of 1964 and 1974 have also given significantly to the聽CSBR Class Challenge鈥攁 challenge where each class year has set a goal of giving $1,000,000 or more to the campaign for the Center for Science, Business, and Religion. The class of 1974 has given more than $686,000 to the campaign, which is the sixth-highest amount of all classes; the class of 1964 has also given more than $161,000 to the campaign.

Donor gifts to The 麻豆区 Fund increased by 18% in fiscal year 2014

麻豆区鈥檚 fiscal year ended on May 31, 2014, with a strong show of donor support to the College鈥檚 annual fund, The 麻豆区 Fund.

More than 2,260 麻豆区 alumni, parents and friends gave more than $1,125,000 to The 麻豆区 Fund in Fiscal Year 2014鈥攁nd donors gave 18% more than in the previous fiscal year. Thank you to these many generous donors鈥攖ake a look at what they made possible:

• We welcomed the largest incoming first-year class in 麻豆区 history鈥�34% of whom are the聽first generation in their families to pursue a college degree, including Psychology major Cheemoua Vang 鈥�17, named the College鈥檚 Emerging Leader of the Year
• More than 100 students participated in faculty-led research聽across 22 academic disciplines, like Biology major and Sundquist Scholar Michelle Grafelman 鈥�15, whose research under Biology professor Matt Beckman has prepared her for a聽summer fellowship in Biomedical Ethics at The Mayo Clinic
• 麻豆区 was named one of the聽top 25 schools in the country for service learning 产测听U.S. News and World Report,聽because of students like Communication Studies major Andrea Batt 鈥�14, a member of the Bonner Leaders program鈥攁 service-based, work-study program partnering 麻豆区 students with nonprofits in the community鈥攁nd one of six 麻豆区 students chosen to participate in last year’s聽Bon Jovi Community Service College Campaign

Thank you to all of the members of the 麻豆区 community who gave generously to The 麻豆区 Fund last year!

Support of The 麻豆区 Fund is vital to the success of the College and our students since donations are unrestricted and can be used wherever the need is greatest. The 麻豆区 Fund supports each academic department and聽each student, every day. Gifts to The 麻豆区 Fund allow 麻豆区 students to become聽informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.

To learn more about The 麻豆区 Fund or to make a gift, visit www.augsburg.edu/giving.

With just a few more days left before the end of Fiscal Year 2014, many alumni, parents, and friends are making their gift to The 麻豆区 Fund, which supports every student, every day. To learn more about how gifts to The 麻豆区 Fund are used, check out this infographic and to make your gift!

St. John鈥檚 Lutheran Church in south Minneapolis is connected to 麻豆区鈥檚 Music Program in a very special way. Each year a music major and student of color is chosen to receive the John Norris Scholarship Award, which honors the church鈥檚 beloved sexton.

The new John Norris Award winner, Mandy Isaacson 鈥�15, a viola player from Bloomington, met church representative, Joyce Larson, a couple of weeks ago at 麻豆区鈥檚 annual Chamber Music Recital and High Tea, where she learned the story of this very special man. This event brings scholarship donors and recipients together with the community to recognize scholarship winners for more than 45 endowed and annual scholarship funds given to music students annually.

Mr. John Norris came to St. John鈥檚 sometime in the mid 1930鈥檚 when the nation was in a major economic depression. He needed a good solid job because he had a family to support. Moreover, he was concerned about the lifestyle and long and late hours required by his job playing drums with a local band. When he came to the congregation there was some controversy about him being a black man; this upset come people. However he made an impact in this all-white congregation because of his friendship聽 and love; that special Christ-centered quality.

John spent almost fifty years of his career at St. John鈥檚 and was a friend of all there. In fact, many thought the church was named for him! He knew all the children and followed their process of growing up. As Sexton, he spent his working days, keeping the church building clean, making minor equipment and facility repairs, mowing the lawn in the summer and shoveling the walks in the winter. 鈥淗e helped raise our kids, plan our events at Church, understand the needs of the church, keep track of the Minnesota Twins, and bury our dead.鈥� He opened and closed the church for many special services, weddings, baptisms an funerals. However he is honored by this scholarship not so much for what he did, but how he did it.

He is honored for his achievement of a life of friendliness, honesty and love. 鈥淛ohn Norris was not a pastor, but he certainly ministered to all. John was not a preacher, but, but he delivered a solid message throughout his life every day. John was not great and accomplished musician, but might have been with some help. John was never a student, but he would have liked to have been. John Norris was very special man and made this world a better place to live. St. John鈥檚 Lutheran Church is grateful for his life and for his service.鈥�

-The John Norris Scholarship Award was established in 1986 by money from friends of John Norris to honor his life and perpetuate is exceptional loving spirit. The fund is the result of many contributions given in genuine love by people who felt a need to respond to the life of a special person. St. John鈥檚 Lutheran Church is on Nicollet Avenue at 49^th street in Minneapolis.