Tag Archives: #AuggiePride

A New Year and a New Campaign Milestone

Happy New Year! As the new year and new semester begin, I want to update you on our Great Returns campaign.

In the last month of 2020, the Augsburg Community’s generosity continued to thrive despite the challenges of this past year. In fact, on the last day of the 2020, Augsburg received nearly 400 gifts totaling about $500,000. I am inspired by the commitment of the Augsburg community to ensure our students thrive. This outpouring of philanthropy has aided us in reaching a new milestone in our fundraising effort to build the Augsburg endowment. We now have raised more than $63 million in gifts and pledges!

We have also reached a new milestone in our student scholarship efforts. As part of the Great Returns campaign, we set an ambitious goal of securing 150 new scholarships in honor of the 150th anniversary of Augsburg’s founding. As of January 1, 2021, benefactors have established 97 new scholarships which make an Augsburg education possible for more students.

As we celebrate these milestones, I would like to lift up a few stories of generous benefactors.

While this has been an extraordinarily challenging year, I wanted you to know that the generosity of the Augsburg community has continued to change lives in powerful ways. I am grateful to everyone who chooses to share their gifts with Augsburg and look forward to a time when we can celebrate this generosity in person.  

Warmly,
Paul S. Mueller, M.D. ’84
Chair of Great Returns: Augsburg’s Sesquicentennial Campaign

A Special Message to our Augsburg Community

Thank you for your exceptional support of Augsburg and its mission, despite the challenges we are all experiencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. At times like these, support from the Augsburg Community is humbling and inspiring.

Things are tough for everyone. I remind myself of Martin Luther’s words: “Pray, and let God worry.” I try to focus on what I can personally influence: the health and safety of my family, teams at Mayo in the La Crosse region, and those I directly serve as a physician.

We want to assure you that as we navigate this uncharted territory, Augsburg is taking all possible and necessary steps to protect the health and safety of all our community members. While we transition to online classes this week, I hope that you will take a moment to reflect on what Augsburg’s faculty and staff have been able to accomplish so quickly, to ensure the continuity of our academic programs and university operations, and to help our students continue with their academic successes. We also acknowledge the many staff that support required services on our campuses. We will emerge from this challenging time as we always do – together!

I also believe we will learn a lot from this experience such as how Augsburg can and will adapt to meet the needs of students and our community. Augsburg has done this many times throughout its history and this unique nimbleness has resulted in some of our hallmark programs such as StepUP, the CLASS office, weekend college, and others. 

As chair of Great Returns: Augsburg’s Sesquicentennial Campaign, I would also like to give you an update on our campaign. I am grateful for all of you, Augsburg’s generous benefactors! Because of you, we have reached a significant milestone in our campaign: as of February 29, we have raised over $54 million in gifts and pledges to support Augsburg’s endowment and other strategic priorities, including over $12 million directed to endowed scholarships and $4 million directed to endowed professorships.

Augsburg changes lives and saves lives, and it is my hope that Augsburg will remain one of your philanthropic priorities.

With my best wishes for you and the people close to you. Keep Augsburg in mind and please stay in touch.

Sincerely,

Paul S. Mueller, MD, ’84, Chair
Great Returns: Augsburg’s Sesquicentennial Campaign

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10 ).”

Doctor Paul S. Mueller is the Regional Vice President for the Mayo Clinic Health System, Southwest Wisconsin. He is also a Professor of Medicine and a Professor of Biomedical Ethics in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. Doctor Mueller’s research focus is biomedical ethics, especially ethical dilemmas associated with life-sustaining technologies such as implantable cardiac devices. 

Doctor Mueller is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Hastings Center and is involved in numerous volunteer activities, including chairing the Great Returns Campaign at Augsburg University.

COVID-19 Response: We Are Here For Our Students

Just as your family and community have felt the changes and uncertainties during this unprecedented time, Augsburg has made challenging decisions in the past week in response to COVID-19. These decisions have had a widespread effect on our lives and especially on the lives of our students. We’ve announced that classes are moving to online instruction, spring sports have been canceled, and much of our campus has moved to limited operations.

As we keep the wellbeing of our community as a top priority during this time, we also realize the impact it has had on our students, both financially and emotionally. We are currently on spring break, but our faculty and staff are working tirelessly to quickly adapt to new online instruction methods and the new financial circumstances we and our students now face. Especially to our students who face financial insecurity, the impact has been profound.

As President Pribbenow said in a message to the campus community last week: What I would ask of the Augsburg community is this: remember our mission and our 150 years of offering our students an education that equips them for life in the world; remember that we are a community that shows up for each other, with generosity and grace; and remember that we have found ways over and over again throughout our history to navigate difficult challenges – as we will do together in this moment.

I have been personally grateful to have heard from many alumni, faculty, and staff on campus who have shown great concern for our student’s wellbeing and asking what they can do to help. With that in mind, we have decided to create an immediate solution to helping those who need it the most right now.

Student Emergency Fund has been established to support the needs of financially insecure students, such as costs related to unexpected travel requirements or lost income when their jobs disappear in this economic reality. Gifts to this fund will assist students who have faced unanticipated financial burdens resulting from COVID-19.

Thank you for considering this special request and for your continued support of Augsburg. You can learn more about how Augsburg will be designating these funds at augsburg.edu/giving. Stay up to date with campus changes through our task force website. Please let me know if you have any questions or feel free to drop me a note at any time (riddle@augsburg.edu).

Sincerely,

Heather Riddle, Vice President for Advancement