Class Notes
Giving List

Spring 2013

Dear Class of 1977:

As perhaps a number of you know from the Luther presidential announcements, the two of us had the chance to be on campus last month as Ann was one of two finalists for this position. We proudly can report to each of you that Luther College continues to be awesome! President Rick and Judy Torgerson indeed represent a legacy of incredible vision and leadership. It was indeed a privilege to meet with the outstanding faculty, staff, and students. For a glimpse of the great work underway, please visit www.luther.edu as well as Luther’s Facebook page, and be sure to follow the latest Norse scores via Twitter.

As part of preparing for our campus visit, we enjoyed visiting with a number of you as you shared about your hopes and prayers that Luther College might continue to be relevant. So, how might each of us help Luther to remain relevant in the future? As Ann prepared for the interview, she noted that to remain relevant, Luther must attend to diversity, affordability, value, as well as international and digital opportunities. Interestingly, these themes spell the word DAVID:

Diversity
High school graduating classes in the Midwest are shrinking; they also are increasingly diverse. Who is Luther trying to attract? Consider and share your perspectives on how Luther might recruit a more diverse class.

Affordability
Although Luther’s average yearly financial aid award (per student) is around $19,000, the average debt of a student upon graduation is about $32,000. Earlier this year we each received a letter from Greg Fields, Luther College regent and a member of our class of 1977. Greg encouraged each of us to contribute to Luther. Please contribute so that we might provide scholarship support to students.

Value
As you work to recruit students to attend Luther, point prospective students and their parents to Luther’s “value” page at http://www.luther.edu/value/. Top reasons for why current students choose Luther include its academic reputation, the offer of financial assistance, and that graduates get good jobs. You can also spread the word about Luther's recent $1.5 million grant award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This prestigious award will provide a major boost to new initiatives that will transform science education at Luther.

International and Digital
Know that over 75 percent of Luther students have a learning experience abroad. This is truly amazing and among the highest percentage in the nation. Last summer Luther experimented with a set of online courses that went well, and online courses in accounting, calculus, computer science, and nutrition will be offered this summer. 

We are disappointed that Ann is no longer a finalist. Please continue to pray for Luther College and its leadership as they work to identify and appoint the next president. The challenges to higher education are great; one could say that they represent “Goliath” in terms of disruptive forces. However, Luther College is blessed with alumni who support ELCA liberal arts education. Each of us can make a difference in Luther’s future.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Doug Duin and Ann Hill Duin
ahduin@umn.edu

Class Notes
GREG ERICKSON is the manager of new market relations for ThoughtWorks in Atlanta, Ga.

JIM LANGHOLZ is the middle school principal at St. Mary’s International School in Tokyo, Japan.

Obituary
Scott Thomas of Lisle, Ill., died March 31, 2012, at the age of 56. He served as a teaching pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lisle and continued to minister to people even during his own illness. Scott’s passion was bringing people to Christ. In his free time he enjoyed fishing. Scott is survived by his wife, Diane; two daughters, Becky and Michelle; his mother, Doris Thomas; a brother, Robert Thomas; and many nieces, nephews, and in-laws. He was preceded in death by his father, Morris Thomas.

Don't forget your Annual Fund giving! 
Each year nearly 9,000 alumni, parents, and friends support the Annual Fund with gifts from $5 to $50,000. Strong support from alumni helps Luther secure additional funds from foundations and corporations, and your gift each year helps us reach our goal of 27% alumni giving.  Here’s how your class—and surrounding classes—did in 2012: