July 2016 Class of 1989 It is good to be a Cobber! Wow! What a busy year! Personally I have been settling in to life in Cook County/Grand Marais. I can t believe how fortunate I am to live and work in such a beautiful place. We have had to make many adjustments. (I am learning how to fish for trout rather than musky.) I have had several opportunities to connect with Cobbers in the northeast corner of the state and I am thankful that I have Alumni Board activities to bring me back to campus on a regular basis. So much has changed at Concordia since our years there, but at the heart, the mission of the college remains unchanged. This past year there was quite a bit of conversation about some changes in the academic catalog. Having the opportunity to get information first hand from college staff, I can tell you that I know a good process was followed. It has been a major challenge to scale the college from 2700-2800 students to the current expected level of approximately 2200 students. With all of the trouble in the world, I think now is an even more important time for Thoughtful and Informed students, and the role that Alumni support plays is even more important. If you ever have questions, comments or concerns for any of the college administration or staff please know that they are available directly, or if you prefer I can carry your comments to them. It is not a reunion year for us but this fall (October 31 st ), we honor the 125 th Anniversary of Concordia College! Celebrate and reconnect with classmates at Homecoming Oct.7-9, 2016 (ConcordiaCollege.edu/homecoming). Also, in 2017, we will celebrate the 500 th Anniversary of the Reformation. The Concordia Annual Fund allows the college to meet emerging needs, explore new opportunities and respond to unexpected challenges. The gift you give today supports work of the college immediately, funding areas of scholarships and financial aid, academic programs, institutional operations and student services. This past year, our class had 18% participation and gave $27,117. Since graduation, our class has given $398,811 in outright gifts. THANK YOU! And thank you for letting me serve as your class agent. If you ever have questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Soli deo Gloria Jeff Cadwell 89
Class of 1989 Updates If you have an update you don t have to wait for the class letter. Please submit updates to www.cord.edu/classnotes or send me an email at jcadwell@cord.edu. Shawn Brandon was called to serve as pastor at Gloria Dei! Lutheran Church in Arnold, Maryland in December 2015. Gary "Jake" Jacobson: My Communications and Advertising degree from Concordia was put to good use when partnering with a local advertising agency from Mahnomen called SugarBrooke Creative. I was the recipient of a Gold Addy Award - from the American Advertising Federation for a still photography campaign that featured my nature photography on the New Horizon Resort website. My award winning nature photography can be viewed at: www.frozenshutter.com. John Jorgenson: Life is good living in Duluth, MN. In 2016, I am currently taking my MBA specializing in Health Care through the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN. Hope all is well with the class of 1989. Lisa Tonder is celebrating 25 years as a Statistician at Medtronic, plc in Fridley, MN. She and Steven ( 88) have also been married for 26 years and their youngest daughter just graduated from Kindergarten. Kirsti Strommen Holm and Torben Holm celebrated their 25 th wedding anniversary on July 6, 2016. Kirsti would be interested in hosting a reunion for Norwegian Alumni and would be happy to talk to Norwegians/Europeans thinking about attending Concordia. Jeff Cadwell married Sue Schoenborn on May 30, 2016 at Cross River Lodge on Gunflint Lake. He has recently completed his first year working for Cook County, MN.
Memorials Unfortunately we have already lost several of our classmates. I hope that we can acknowledge their absence and share our memories of them. I get a list from the College and will acknowledge losses each year. Please submit notices or memorials that you may have to be included. Joseph Duane Schabacker passed away on October 23, 2015. Solveig Laura Haugland passed away at age 48 of natural causes on August 9th in Lafayette, Colorado. Solveig was born in Boulder, Colorado, the daughter of Palmer and Ethelyn Haugland. She grew up in Juneau, Alaska and Kalispell, Montana, graduating from Flathead High School in 1985. At Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, Solveig toured with the Concordia College choir and received a BA in French and Communications in 1989. She worked as a technical writer and editor for Great Plains Software, and in 1997, moved to Lafayette to work as a course developer for Sun Microsystems. She authored over twenty books, including the Open Office Guidebook, and used her knack for explaining complex processes in simple and humorous terms to pen several nontechnical books such as Dating Power Tools. Solveig loved snowshoeing, skiing, camping, hiking in and around Estes Park, and returning home to her two cats. She hashed with sartorial flair with the Flatlanders and Boulder Hashers; she danced Lindy Hop and the Blues; and she played a mean hand of euchre or whist. A knitter of astonishing speed, skill, and originality, she masterminded several popular local knit-bombs. She was a fearless formulator of witty songs and original cocktails, serving up both with generosity, to the delight of many. Her sharp eye for identifying problems and her joy in solving them made her a dauntless matchmaker and a perennial giver of the perfect gift. Passionate about social justice, she entertained friends and infuriated foes on Facebook in well-reasoned and witty arguments for civil rights. Solveig visited Kalispell often to spend time with her parents; their relationship was one of great kindness and mutual respect, and later in her parents lives, she cared for them with strength and compassion. Solveig lived life with originality, intelligence, irrepressible wit, a sense of adventure, and a boundless consideration for those she loved. She had a keen appreciation of the ludicrous, and would have snorted with delight that an obituary can sound so much like a dating site profile. She is survived by several cousins and many friends. A memorial service was held in her honor September 12 th, 2015 in Boulder, Colorado. Contributions may be made in her memory to the Society of Women Engineers. She will be missed.
Lost List The College does not have current contact information for the following members of the class of 1989. Contact information can be updated by calling 218-299-3743 or by visiting www.cord.edu/classnotes. Achaw, Godfrey T. Knutson, Colette M. Staton, Sharon A. Andersen, Trude Leick, Lisa J. Svenkerud, Peer J. Bartvedt, Astrid Monro, Sarah K. Bergh, Erik A. Nguyen, Thi C. Castren, Eric A. Nilssen, Line T. Christianson, Amy L. Nitschke, Peter D. Gabree, Kari R. Olson, Mark R. Hagen, David L. Pokrzywinski, John M. Henderson, Rochelle S. Price, Craig A. Hermanson, Vincent L. Resset, Elsa P. Ingersoll, Timothy W. Reynolds, Eric C. Jagow, Debra L. Ricci, Angela T. Kessler, Cynthia Rostad, Anne Campus Update New Science Facilities Renovation of the Jones and Ivers science buildings continues. This year, facilities staff and contractors began the process of cleaning out and stripping the interior of the buildings while our science students spread out all over campus for their labs and classes. On April 22 nd, a ceremonial demolition was held to mark the beginning of the construction phase of the project. Follow the progress at Cord.edu/science. The total project cost is $45 million with a scheduled finish date of July 2017. The project includes totally gutting Ivers and extensively remodeling Jones. Features include updated mechanical systems, flexible classrooms, t-search labs (teaching/research labs), larger faculty offices, and social and informal learning spaces. These buildings will have lots of light and open space like the Offutt School of Business. New Hires Dr. K. Brewer Doran has been named the new Dean of the Offutt School of Business. Doran comes to Concordia from Salem State University in Massachusetts, where she was dean of the Bertolon School of Business. She has served in that role since 2005. During her time at the Bertolon School, Doran improved student outcomes, built relationships with the business community and raised funds for the school of business. Doran earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history and anthropology from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. from McGill University in Montréal. Her doctoral work focused on cross-cultural marketing, including a study of Chinese and North American consumers. In addition to her work in higher education, she has business experience working for International Paper Corp. and also has owned her own aviation and consulting businesses.
Joe Christianson has been named the new men s and women s golf coach replacing Duane Siverson who retired this spring. Christianson, who grew up in Halstad, Minn., served as the head coach for American International College in Springfield, Mass. for the 2015-16 season. Before becoming the head coach at American International, Christianson was the assistant coach for the men's and women's programs at St. John's University in New York where he helped lead the women's team to a fourth-place finish in the Big East in 2015. Christianson's golf background was formed in Halstad where he started playing the game. He attended Norman County West High School and won the Minnesota State Class A individual championship in 1998. Music The Concordia Choir will travel to the Southwest for its spring tour from Feb. 25 March 12, 2017. Concordia College has commissioned Dr. René Clausen to compose a major choral orchestral work in observation of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. All choirs and The Concordia Orchestra will perform the world premier of The Passion of Jesus Christ in Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis and Memorial Auditorium, Moorhead on April 8 and 9th, 2017. The choir will also tour Germany from May 8-22, 2017. The Concordia Orchestra is headed to Minot and Devil s Lake, ND, as well as various MN locations for their fall tour October 29 - November 6, 2016. Check online at Cord.edu/music for the final locations later in the summer. The Concordia band will tour from February 5 12, 2017 at locations yet to be determined. Check online for the final locations later in the summer. Athletics The NFL has come calling for recent Cobber football players Griffin Neal 15 and Brandon Zylstra 16. Neal, a record setting quarterback who played last year in Europe, was signed to a contract by the New Orleans Saints, while Zylstra, also a record setter as receiver, was invited to the Minnesota Vikings minicamp after this spring s draft. Jordan Bolger 16 capped a fantastic Concordia career with an amazing senior season in basketball. Bolger finished with 1,268 points and 679 rebounds, ranking fifth on the school's all-time scoring list and second in program history, respectively. In his final season, Bolger averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and was named the MIAC most valuable player. In addition, Bolger was the first in school history to be NABC West All-District player of the year and the first in program history to be added to the D3hoops.com All-West Region first team. He was invited to play in the DIII All Star game in March and awarded the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, the 10 th Cobber to receive this prestigious scholarship. NCAA All-American Cherae Reeves won the Division III Indoor and Outdoor shot put championship. In addition to two national championships, Reeves is a five-time All-American. Academics Concordia's data analytics team placed first among 24 teams from 17 schools around the Midwest. Students Tom Dukatz '16, Zach Lipp '16, Philip Manley '17, and Rachel Swedin '16 represented Concordia along with their faculty advisor Dr. John Reber, associate professor of mathematics, in the annual Midwest Undergraduate Data Analytics Competition (MUDAC). This is the third year Cobbers have won and the fourth year that they placed in the top three. Teams had 24 hours to analyze data from Mayo Medical Laboratories and make business recommendations to Mayo Clinic representatives. Our annual Celebration of Student Scholarship took place on Apr. 13. This daylong event highlights student research, scholarship and creative experiences. Events included paper and poster presentations, music and theatre performances, an alumni panel and an awards reception.
Concordia Language Villages ConcordiaLanguageVillages.org This year marks the 50 th anniversary of the purchase of the Turtle River Lake property, home to seven permanent culturally-authentic villages. It is also the 40 th anniversary of Lac du Bois Hackensack, CLV s longest-running French program. This year s International Days are July 8 th and August 12 th at the German village in Bemidji and, as always, the public is welcome. Alumni Awards The National Alumni Board met in Jan. and again in May to vote on the 2016 Alumni Achievement, Sent Forth and Called to Serve Awards. To find more information about each award, please head to the award portion of the website at Cord.edu/alumniawards. 2016 Alumni Achievement Award Recipients Dr. James Buhr 67 Jean Bye 79 David Horazdovsky 78 Dr. Karen Feste 66 2015 Sent Forth Recipients Amy Kircher 97 Miquette Denie McMahon 11 2016 Called to Serve Recipients Barbara Prather 87 Jean Johnson 76 Loyal Cobber, a program of the National Alumni Board ConcordiaCollege.edu/loyalcobber What does a lifelong Cobber look like? Being a part of the Cobber Alumni Network is about staying involved and giving back to future students, feeling connected and proudly sharing it with those around you. When you do something in all four of these categories, let us know and we ll send you an exclusive Loyal Cobber gift! CONNECT: Stay Informed (Cord.edu/classnotes or 218.299.3743) Update your information online or by phone to know what s happening among alumni and with the college. ENGAGE: Get Involved (Cord.edu/engage) Provide meaningful experiences for students and participate in alumni events, programs and teams. SUPPORT: Make an Impact (Cord.edu/give or Cobbersgive.org) Give to student scholarships and campus projects to ensure educational enrichment for current and future Cobbers. SHARE: Show Your Cobber Pride (Cord.edu/social and Cord.edu/refer) Interact on social media using #cordmn, show off your alma mater swag and tell future Cobbers about your Concordia experience.
Concordia s Pillars Our alumni are our best recruiters! Help us tell the compelling story of Concordia College and refer a future Cobber at ConcordiaCollege.edu/refer. Tell young adults in your life about Concordia s academic departments and pre-professional programs. The six categories below provide an accurate picture of what Concordia College offers. Affordability and Value Students are nearly twice as likely to graduate in four years compared to regional public schools. Concordia has the 4 th lowest tuition/fees ($43,064) of the 17 MN private colleges. More than 99% of Concordia students are awarded financial aid, with an average of $25,000 assistance. BREW (Becoming Responsibly Engaged in the World) 45% of Concordia students participate in at least one study abroad experience. Campus Service Commission, Habitat for Humanity, and Hands for Change get students deeply involved in the Fargo-Moorhead community and beyond. College-to-Career Preparation 89% of students are accepted into law school and 88% into med school; 93% of graduates are employed or in grad school within nine months of graduation. The Career Center offers internship/job fairs, networking events, off-campus interviews, assistance with resumes/cover letters, and access to jobs and internships with Handshake, an online tool and mobile app. Fargo-Moorhead The F/M metro area has a booming economy with an unemployment rate of just 2.4%, compared to the national rate of 4.9% The Tri-College partnership allows for courses at area educational institutions. Liberal Arts Foundation Concordia students become lifelong learners with the intellectual depth and agility they need to thrive in any circumstance. Cobbers are involved in more than 19 performance ensembles, 22 athletic teams and more than 100 student organizations. Lutheran Heritage A college of the ELCA, Concordia is strongly rooted in the Lutheran tradition of free inquiry and dialogue. Students from a variety of faith and nonfaith backgrounds make up the Concordia community; and the Fargo-Moorhead area is home to many centers of faith, whether you worship at a synagogue, mosque or church.