20-Year
Class of 1988
Reunion dates ― October 3 & 4, 2008
February 2008
Dear Friends and Classmates,
It’s a perfect day to write a class letter. It’s one of the rare occasions here in
January seems a good time to reminisce. We moved into our home 10 years ago next week.
It just felt like home the moment we
found it. As a couple, we appreciated
the good commuting connections into
Likewise, Gustavus felt like home as soon as I found it. From meeting fellow 3E/3H freshmen to working
with a talented team of CFs, there were countless memories and experiences that
shaped my life and who I am today. Gustavus
(or at least my view of it) was always evolving.
There were also life-changing moments, like when I
discovered the International Management major or when I first heard of the
graduate school I was to later attend. These
were the first steps in a professional and personal journey that has led me
around the world and on numerous memorable adventures. (In fact, I moved to Japan 14 years ago today
and Andrew, my English husband, and I had our first date in
A few months ago, we returned to
I don’t have the voice to teach the children the “Star Spangled Banner,” but the “Gustie Rouser” is within my range, so we practiced this on the way down to St. Peter. Characteristically, Peter (4) was only interested in the “Beat ’em, Bust ’em” line, but Katie (7) seemed to enjoy it all.
It was October term break, so the campus was fairly quiet, but we were warmly greeted by those we did see including Mark Anderson ’66 (Vice President of Admission), who has now played a key role in admitting over 50% of the living Gustavus alumni, and Randall Stuckey ’83 (Director of Alumni Relations), who was a fantastic head resident when I was a CF.
Things look a bit different these days, but it still felt
like home and our children must have felt a connection as well, as they
suggested naming our new puppy “Gus” when we collected him the following week
back in
While the young age of the trees leading up to Old Main are a reminder of the ’98 tornado, I’m proud of the Gustie spirit, resilience and commitment that helped re-build and create an even better, stronger school in the years since then.
Having taken the whole family to Gustavus in 2007, I’ll be traveling on my own in October this year for the reunion. Living so far away, I truly value reunions. They are one of the rare occasions I get these days to connect with special people from those important years.
So, whether you live in Le Sueur, Lakeville or
I’ll be traveling 4,139 miles to see everyone―how
about you?
Warm wishes for 2008,
Ann DeLaHunt Burniston ’88
Writing from the slightly snowy, southeast of
RAN OUT OF SPACE/TIME FOR
CLASSMATE INFORMATION.
January 2008
Planning Meeting:
Front: Bill Mork, Gail Chase Ericson, Luther
Hagen. Back: Chris
Beckman, Michelle Matzek, JoJo Wackerfuss Quackenbush, Jamin Johnson-Schneider, Brad Pearson, Tim Nasby, Carrie Hutchinson
Young, Kim Barron Cunningham.
Tom Young
was there too but missed the photo op.
Committee Reports:
Special Events: The Events Planning committee has started to make a lot of great plans for the reunion. We will have a tent designated for our class on the north end of the new football field. This will be our area where we can gather before, during and after the football game. There will be activities starting with a painting session at “the Rock” and the parade through campus, food, drinks, games, tours, seminars, lunch, ’80s music, reminiscing, possible live music from classmates, a casual dinner inside and post dinner parties. I am very excited about this day on campus and look forward to seeing and talking to many of you.
If
you have any ideas or suggestions please send them my way: www.ericson5@comcast.net.
If you would like to join us to finish
our planning, we will be meeting at
Gail
Chase Ericson
1988 Events Coordinator
Communications: Thanks to the web, our committee has been…
- Gathering
class letter information―including a block of booked hotel rooms,
committee updates, etc.
- Determining
postcard ideas for next summer (I know it seems early, but Gustavus is
working now on next summer publications so….)
- Working
with Gustavus staff to develop a “Who’s Who” of classmates. We’d like it to be accessible either
on-line (via the Gustavus website) or in paper form (that will be made
into a booklet for you at the
- Our
goal is to: keep everyone informed,
gather information from classmates via emails/calls to peers/etc., and encourage
everyone to attend the fun weekend that Gail and the special events
committee are planning.
Email me anytime with your thoughts and ideas,
Jamin Johnson-Schneider
1988 Communications Coordinator
Scholarships and Support R Us, or the Fundraising Team:
Please see Tom’s letter below. I hope you will join me in supporting our school. Your gift will help students now and it will help our children in the future.
Luther
Hagen
1988 Fundraising Coordinator
The Yale of
Or Why Your Gift
Matters…
I often joke that Gustavus is the “Yale of Nicollet County,” but I wonder what it would take to make Gustavus an institution with a national/international reputation for excellence like a Yale or Harvard pie in the sky, not at all. Many of the pieces are in place and we are well positioned to move forward.
We have a wonderful educational mandate as a Lutheran school founded by the Augustana Synod. This tradition celebrates and promotes an education that demands rational and clearly articulated thinking, a questioning mind, and ethics and service that raise the level of humanity in our areas of influence; and throughout, taking our work, and not ourselves, seriously. This is, for me, what makes us special.
It is vitally important that Gustavus has the resources needed to continue graduating 600+ students each year to serve our communities in a uniquely Gustavus manner. It will do so, only with your help.
Every Gustavus graduate benefited from the philanthropic support given to the College―even those who paid full price. Without philanthropic support, the College would not exist as we know it. For instance, the annual proceeds from the endowment (the money we have saved in the bank) support the budget of the College―in essence $4.5 million a year we don’t have to charge students. Philanthropy built the buildings, the new football stadium, and secured additional lands for the campus―what a tremendous legacy.
The College’s endowment has surpassed $110 million (folding money by any standard), but a quick and dirty rule of thumb is that 2 ½ times one’s operating budget is a minimum for a College like Gustavus. That suggests a target of $225‐$250 million. How quickly we get there will strongly influence our future. Our current undercapitalization affects every aspect of the College’s life, but most directly the scholarship support available.
Options for bringing additional resources to Gustavus:
- Cut
costs. Having been on campus for
two years now, I am confident in saying that our alma mater is not suffering
from annual budgets that are too large. The faculty and staff are fiscally
prudent with the resources at hand and are good stewards of the resource
entrusted to them.
- Raise
tuition―well no not really. Tuition
is being held down as much as absolutely possible. Everyone will be aware of this as our
children begin looking at schools.
- Increase
philanthropic support―and here is the largest potential pool that
will determine the future of our College.
For four years, we were privileged to be students at Gustavus. Now that we can step back above the trees and see more clearly the larger picture of this rich 150 year legacy of something much bigger. What our alma mater looks like in 25 years will be largely determined by the priority we give Gustavus as a place for our philanthropy. Will you help make our alma mater stronger? Will you help the College, and the students who need scholarship support to be there, reach new heights? Will you join the ranks of alumni philanthropists?
We are all still a part of the Gustavus family, only now we
play a different role; a joyful philanthropic role―played by others for
us. Please join me and our
1988
along with: Luther Hagen, Gail Chase Ericson and Jamin
Johnson-Schneider