2002 Class Letter
Gustavus Adolphus
College gustavus.edu alumni@gustavus.edu
May 2004
Hello once again! It was just a short time ago since I got the last letter out, but wanted to send a third round of greetings for the year.
Last week I had the pleasure of attending a Choir of Christ Chapel concert at a church in Tacoma. The choir was in the Northwest on a spring concert tour. The music was absolutely beautiful. It took me back to Chapel time at Gustavus. Wow. What great memories of Chapel and of every aspect of Gustavus! I recognized some of the choir members' last names as being the same as those of students who had been at Gustavus while we were there. I found myself trying to identify siblings of former Gusties throughout the concert. I began to think about the legacy of Gustavus that shines through in so many ways - whether that be through a new group of students whose siblings, parents or grandparents perhaps attended the college, the campus itself, photos of our friends, memories, or the Chapel choir sharing their music with a church full of people on the west coast.
Although we are alumni, we still have many wonderful ties to our college. I think that the degree and number of ties are different for each of us, but there is one thing at the heart of it all we share: the Gustavus experience for four years of our life.
I don't know about anyone else, but the past two years since graduation have flown by so quickly. This is a time to reflect on our memories and ties to Gustavus, and how we can maintain those. The Alumni Fund will be closing on May 31. I encourage each of you to consider a donation to this fund in order to support a place that gave each of us much more than we perhaps realize. Think about future students and the world of possibilities that awaits them.
I have another request. For the fall 2004 or the January 2005 letter, I'm envisioning a compilation class letter of short thoughts or a pondering of sorts from our classmates. These could include college memories, a life lesson learned, or talking about an interesting place you've ended up with your career, volunteer, or travel endeavors. Please drop me an e-mail (olesonk@u.washington.edu) if you'd like to contribute in some way to that letter collage.
My apologies for not including updates. I don't have that information available at this time, but that just means that next fall's letter will be chalked full of news.
Dr. James Peterson '64 was inaugurated during a ceremony in Christ Chapel on Friday, April 16. Other inaugural events included a symposium featuring Rev. Dr. Martin Marty, tree dedication, Gustavus Association of Congregations meeting, G.I.V.E. community service day in St. Peter, music concert, art exhibition, and an alumni reception preceding the Nobel Symphony Concert at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.
·
Nearly 80%
of Gustavus students graduate in four years, compared with 56% of students from
other Minnesota private colleges; the national average is 17%.
·
Scholarships and financial assistance for
Gustavus students totals $18M, almost 25 percent of Gustavus' annual
budget? Alumni Fund gifts, including
designated and unrestricted gifts, help enable students to receive a Gustavus
education. Gustavus offers two types of
scholarships to students -- merit awards given to recognize academic
achievement, and tuition grants are used to assist students with recognized
financial need.
·
There are
seven choral ensembles and 23 instrumental ensembles, two jazz, four woodwind
and three brass ensembles.
·
More than
40 percent of Gustavus students volunteer through the Gustavus community
service center on a regular basis.
· And looking back -- during the college's early years, students were awakened by a bell at 5:45 a.m. and all lights had to be out by 10:30 p.m.
I pray that all is well with each of you. I also hope that the summer allows for you to get outside in the sunshine and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, whether that be in Minnesota or somewhere across the globe.
Blessings,
Katherine Medbery Oleson
Class 2002 co-agent