Spring 2019
Dear Members of the Class of 2003,
As you receive this letter, Luther student musicians are playing and singing at full tilt. Collegiate Chorale and Cathedral Choir just returned from tours of the Midwest, and Jazz Orchestra sets out April 12 for a tout that includes South Dakota and Minnesota (luther.edu/music/jazz-orchestra). On top of that, Nordic Choir sings with the Des Moines Symphony April 27 and 28 (dmsymphony.org/events).
This year, Luther hosted a number of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary (luther.edu/alumni/events/bsu) of the college’s Black Student Untion (luther.edu/black-student-union). The events included visits from several alumni who were invited back to campus to speak throughout the year, including Christie Owens ’16, Maggie (Steinberg) Hagen ’15, Gaone Masire ’82, Emerald-Jane (Aggrey-Appiah) Hunter ’03, Kara (Skatrud) Baylor ’92, Lorenzo Creighton '75, Barbara Fuller '72, Spruiell White ’67, and Maxie (Jones) Rockymore ’82, who will deliver the Don Kemp Memorial Lecture on April 25. The yearlong celebration of the BSU kicked off at Homecoming and will culminate in an alumni reunion April 26–28.
The Class of 2019 and their loved ones will celebrate Commencement on Sunday, May 26 (luther.edu/commencement/). It’s hard to believe, but that means we’ll soon bid a fond farewell to President Paula Carlson, who plans to retire at the end of the 2018–19 academic year.
After Commencement, Luther’s campus will start to buzz with summer visitors young and old. Each June through August, Luther hosts thousands of elementary, middle, and high school students interested in everything from music (luther.edu/music/dorian) to nature (luther.edu/environmental-outreach/discovery-camp) to sports (luther.edu/sports/camps) to science (luther.edu/diversity/programs/sumseminar). This summer, the college will also offer its third annual Dance Camp (luther.edu/dance-camp), an inclusive, empowering, fun, and inspiring week of movement and expression.
Luther has summer programming for adults, too. If you enjoy singing in fellowship, mark your calendars for the college’s second annual Dorian Choral Retreat for Adults (luther.edu/music/dorian/summer-camps/adult-dorian), June 28–30. And keep in mind that you can host your own event (luther.edu/conferences-events) on Luther’s campus. Your alma mater would love to have you!
Best wishes for a happy spring,
2003 Class Agents:
Jess (Romens) Schouten
1780 Lochaven Drive
Woodbury MN 55125-9015
952-484-0081
[email protected]
Joel Summers
5931 Holiday Road
Minnetonka MN 55345-5427
612-202-8467
[email protected]
CLASS NOTES
Aaron Barnes is a supervisor in the special education division at the Minnesota Department of Education in Roseville, Minn.
Peter Eliason is director of analytics and data science at Revel in Minneapolis.
Josh Klaetsch is a portfolio manager for real estate securities at Securian Asset Management in St. Paul, Minn.
Jim Kowitz is an assistant director in brand, marketing and communications at Ernst & Young in Minneapolis.
Andrea Leibold is a competence engineer at ASML in Portland, Ore.
Randy Mack is practice area director at Slalom Consulting in Chicago.
Lindsay (Moss) Millard is owner of Lindsay’s Flower Patch in Orange City, Iowa.
John Povolny teaches band at John Glenn Middle School in North St. Paul, Minn.
Justin Sands is director of choirs at Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Joshua Westgaard teaches geography and coaches varsity football and baseball for the Bennington (Neb.) Public Schools.
Beth Willer is the founder and leader of the Lorelei Ensemble. The Boston-based vocal ensemble’s mission is to uplift female singers and reimagine Medieval Renaissance and Baroque repertoire. Lorelai performed at Luther last fall as part of the Center Stage Series.
Amber Wilson is a clinical social worker and therapist at Synergy Clinical Services of Central Iowa in Des Moines, Iowa.
MARRIAGES
ELIZABETH BOLINGER and Thomas Kinlen, Aug. 3, 2018
TAMMY MICHELS and Jason Folstad, Aug. 26, 2017
BIRTHS
ERICA (CROUSER) '04 and JOSH KLAETSCH welcomed a son, Ezra in August 2018.
We are pleased to announce Dr. Jenifer K. Ward as the 11th president of Luther College! For more information about President-elect Ward, visit luther.edu/headlines |
As you may remember from your Fall 2018 Class Agent letter, Luther has recently completed an extensive brand strategy research process.
As a result of our research and in collaboration with members of the Luther community, we have developed several statements that will guide future communications. We know that you, our alumni, are often asked about your alma mater. What you say to prospective students and their families about Luther College can have a huge impact on their decisions to visit campus, apply and, hopefully, enroll. You know Luther well. You matter to us and we’re interested in hearing from you. We invite you to take a few minutes to preview some of our new statements and share your thoughts. The example statements, as well as a response survey, are available online: luther.edu/alumni/brandsurvey Many thanks! If you have any questions please email Catherine Dyer, Brand and Marketing Director at [email protected] |