Fall 2011
News for Supporters of Northwestern College
Greetings from the New Graham Commons!
Josh Stokes
Josh Stokes
Alan S. Cureton, Ph.D., Northwestern College President
I write to you as I am sitting inside the new Billy Graham Community
Life Commons. The vision for this building began several years ago as we
assessed the challenges of our existing facilities, planned for the future, raised
funds, and worked through the construction’s phases. And I am excited to say
it is now complete!
Because of your prayer support and the generous gifts from our
community of friends and partners, students are able to enjoy this beautiful
and greatly anticipated space. Though students and staff are already settling in
to the Graham Commons, we have planned an official Grand Opening event
to celebrate and dedicate the building to the glory of God.
Please join us on campus to explore our newest addition during
Homecoming Weekend October 7–9, and rejoice with us during the Grand
Opening Celebration and Dedication on Friday, October 7 at 4:45 p.m.
I’ve often called the Graham Commons Northwestern’s “family room,”
and now, I’d like to invite you to visit campus to make yourself at home here!
You may get a sneak peek of our new building by visiting nwc.edu/president and
selecting “Graham Commons Video Tour.”
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Homecoming this year will
be filled with celebration as we
mark the Grand Opening of the
Billy Graham Community Life
Commons, named for Rev. Billy
Graham, Northwestern’s second
president.
Alumni, students, parents,
faculty, staff and supporters
will gather for a weekend of
fellowship, worship, reminiscing
and lots of family fun.
The special festivities for
the Graham Commons on
October 7 will be attended by
Rev. Will Graham, grandson
of Billy Graham, and other
members of Billy Graham’s
family. We extend a special
welcome to alumni who were
students when Billy Graham
was the college’s president.
Registration deadline is
September 23.
Visit nwc.edu/alumni for
Homecoming details and tickets.
Bill Butters, former World Hockey
Association and National Hockey
League player. Butters, a St. Paul native,
shared a moving story of his faith
journey, which began when he was
coaching at a Northwestern hockey
camp for kids. With God’s help, Butters
turned his path from reckless living to
radical love for God. He and his wife
now counsel couples at Eagle Brook
church, where they are members.
We invite you to join us at next
year’s tournament on May 21, 2012, at
the beautiful Midland Hills Country
Club in Roseville, Minn.
You can experience some of this year’s
fun through our photo gallery at
nwc.edu/golfclassic.
Join the NWC Mug Club!
New mug available for 2011–12
Josh Stokes
Eagles, Fly Home!
Homecoming and
Grand Opening
Celebration
October 7–9
The 36th Annual Golf Classic
on May 23 continued a tradition of
support for Northwestern students.
The event’s 126 participants and 40
sponsors came together to raise more
than $33,000 to benefit students
through the Northwestern Fund and
the Wade Wahl Scholarship Fund.
The Classic featured an 18-hole
scramble-style competition, silent
auction and compelling speakers.
Craig, Harley, Hayden and Chris
Hanson were the winning team with
an impressive 15 strokes under par.
This win was especially meaningful
for the foursome as their dad and
grandfather, Trustee Emeritus Harris
Hanson­­—who had been a Golf Classic
participant for more than 25 years—
had passed away on May 4 at age 92.
Whether teams returned to the
clubhouse with award-winning score
cards or are still wondering where
that last ball went, all enjoyed the
Classic’s welcoming atmosphere to
golfers old and new.
Off the links, participants were
captivated by special guest speaker
Brian Tanning
Golf Classic: Supporting Students for 36 Years
During the Spring Phonathon in April,
we introduced this year’s new mug for
qualifying 2011–12 Mug Club members. This
commemorative mug features the new Billy
Graham Community Life Commons and will be a
beautiful addition to your collection.
For your gift of $120 ($10 per month) or more
to the Northwestern Fund, you can join, or renew
your membership in the Mug Club. You’ll receive a mug as our way of
saying “Thank You” for supporting Northwestern students.
Join the NWC Mug Club today by giving a gift online at nwc.edu/give or by
calling 800-692-4020.
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Why YOU Are So Important to
Northwestern Students
Phonathon 2011
Much more than dialing for dollars
Each spring we gather students
together to call alumni, parents, and
friends to reconnect and share news
during the Spring Phonathon. Student
callers are blessed by the generosity of
Northwestern’s faithful friends and the
stories they hear.
This year we received 970 prayer
requests and prayed for each one. Our
Alumni & Parent Relations team also
receives the requests and prays for
them over the course of several weeks.
We were excited to receive followup reports from many, including a
grandmother letting us know of her
granddaughter’s improving health and
that God answered our prayers (and
certainly the prayers of others) for her!
In addition to the opportunity
for prayers and connections, the
Phonathon was a fundraising success!
God blessed us with $54,281 in gifts
and pledges for the Northwestern
Fund—an 18 percent increase from
last year. Combined with generous
matching funds that doubled our total,
we celebrated more than $108,500
raised for Northwestern students.
Thank you for your generosity and
care for the students of Northwestern.
Your financial support, no matter the
size, is important to the mission of
Northwestern and makes an impact in
the lives of students.
Each year hundreds of students step out in faith to attend
Northwestern College, despite the reality that they may lack
the resources to cover the full tuition amount. At Northwestern
we recognize and understand these circumstances, and we are
working to help families break down barriers to obtain a Christcentered, education of excellence.
Nearly 98 percent of our students receive need-based financial
aid. Our financial aid team works diligently to help families find
resources and they are able to help offset tuition through non-loan
programs, discounts and grants.
Changing times, expanding need
Despite these measures, the current economic climate and
changes to tuition assistance programs make tuition a difficult
hurdle. Director of Financial Aid Rick Blatchley ’79 says that
expiring programs, along with budget deficits, have led to
approximately one million dollars in cuts for Northwestern
students through federal and state aid.
According to Blatchley, “When families’ abilities to contribute
to their child’s education goes down and state and federal funding
is gradually decreasing, the gap between what families can afford
and the actual cost of education increases. The Northwestern Fund
is crucial in bridging that gap and helping students.”
Filling the gap
The Northwestern Fund provides vital assistance to every
student by lowering the overall tuition cost. During the past year,
gifts to the Northwestern Fund from alumni, parents and friends
like you resulted in a tuition reduction of almost $650 for every
Northwestern student!
This year our goal for the fund is $1,150,000. We prayerfully
and enthusiastically ask you to partner with us in helping even
more students and families. We recognize it is God’s provision
and the generosity He places in the hearts of our friends and
community that make possible the Northwestern Fund’s impact
and assistance to students.
Without your support, many students would be unable to
attend Northwestern. When you give to the Northwestern Fund,
you are literally investing in the next generation of Christian
leaders!
Thank you for supporting the Northwestern Fund. For your
convenience, you may use the enclosed mail envelope or give online at
nwc.edu/give.
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Make Your Gift to
Northwestern Come
Full Circle
Ordinary Gifts Make Extraordinary
Difference
He’s a grocery store manager. She’s a nurse. They have two children—a
girl and a boy—two years apart. They have moved several times to follow
corporate promotions and at times have felt like “gypsies” on the move.
They like to golf and they love their family.
When it came time for their kids to go to college, they made one
request: spend one year at a Christian college. After learning about
Northwestern through the Northwestern Media station (KNWC) in South
Dakota, their daughter chose NWC and two years later, so did their son.
And both have extended their one-year terms into plans to stay and
graduate.
Principle of giving
The story of James and Deborah Siemens of Sioux Falls, S.D., may
seem ordinary. But there is strength in the way they have raised their
children, Kristina and Bracston, to put Christ first and live lives based on
the principle of giving first to the Lord. Theirs is an encouraging story of
faith and stewardship that challenges others who have “ordinary” lives to
view giving in a new light.
“We take our giving very seriously,” James explained. “It’s really not
ours, anyway; it’s all the Lord’s. If you believe in something and the Lord’s
laid it on your heart, you want to support that.”
A mission that spreads the gospel
James affirmed how Northwestern’s mission lines up with the family’s
giving criteria, “We were impressed with the mission of Northwestern. We
need more Christians in the workplace, people who aren’t afraid to share
the Gospel.”
Even with two students in college, James and Deborah are also Circle
Partners. “You can look at college as a lot of money, or that you’re giving
part of their inheritance early,” James reflected. “We’re just ordinary people
and feel very blessed to have our kids at Northwestern.”
To learn more about Northwestern Circle Partner giving, see article at right.
Circle Partners are a committed
group of alumni, parents and friends
who demonstrate their personal
commitment to students through an
annual financial investment to the
Northwestern Fund at one of three
levels:
Life Investor’s Circle
$5,000 +
President’s Circle
$1,000 to
$4,999
Berntsen Circle
$500 to
$999
As a Circle Partner, you play
a strategic role in Northwestern’s
ministry, making an investment in
this Kingdom-building effort and
endorsing the heart of Northwestern’s
mission.
Circle Partners receive free
tickets to college music and theatre
performances, athletic events and
more as a thank-you for your ongoing
commitment to Northwestern.
To join a Circle or learn more about our
giving programs, contact the Office of
Annual Giving at 651-631-5695.
The Advocate is a publication of the
Northwestern College Office of Annual
Giving. It is published twice yearly to share
news, stories and ideas with current and
future supporters of the college.
The name Advocate describes both
the roles and the process involved in the
vital work of supporting the students of
Northwestern College. Your advocacy
through your gifts makes a significant
difference for students.
Questions, comments or story ideas may be
directed to [email protected].
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Exploring
the World of
King Tut
On May 5, the Office of
Advancement sponsored a
fascinating event about King
Tut, presented by our own
Egyptology expert, Charles
Aling, Ph.D., chair of the
history department.
Aling’s message presented
insight into King Tut’s reign,
the religious revolution in the
culture that his family was
involved in, objects inside his
tomb, and the mysterious royal
family of Tut. Aling’s personal
experience excavating royal
tombs in Egypt enhanced
his presentation, along with
pictures and stories.
This special event
coincided with the Science
Museum of Minnesota’s exhibit
Tutankhamun: The Golden
King and the Great Pharaohs,
which continues its run
through September.
Northwestern College is
grateful to have experts in
such exciting areas of study,
and we thank Dr. Aling for
sharing his knowledge with the
community!
Charles Aling, Ph.D.
New Fulbright Winners Carry on
Northwestern ‘Tradition’
Rachel Grammer ’10 and Charity Strazheim ’10 (above, left to right),
met as freshman, and as seniors they lived together in a house near
campus. They now share another unique connection: both women are
winners of Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) Scholarships.
The two recently came together to discuss their experiences:
Grammer’s teaching experience in Turkey and Straszheim’s upcoming
award tenure in the Czech Republic.
Grammer said that part of why she wanted to go was to explore the
Islamic culture of Turkey and to correct false stereotypes she held about
the Middle East. She said it was an intercultural and interfaith exchange;
she learned about Turkish culture, but her Turkish counterparts also
learned about her culture, including her faith. Turkey is made up of 99
percent Sunni Muslims.
Straszheim shared that the Czech Republic is not characterized by a
dominant religion, but by atheism. Both women noted that although their
primary purpose as Fulbright grantees is to teach English, their faith is
also a motivating factor.
As Straszheim discussed her departure preparations—carrying a Czech
dictionary with her and interspersing Czech in the conversation—Grammer
passed on the tools of living overseas: an electrical outlet adapter, technology
to keep in touch with home, and thoughts on cultural isolation.
Looking forward to learning more about the Czech culture and
language, Straszheim is also trying to be realistic in her expectations, and
she is a little anxious about being isolated by the language barrier. She
hopes to make new friends and find a church soon after arriving. She will
be leaving in August for the school year.
The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and
is the largest international exchange program allowing students, scholars
and professionals the opportunity to engage in study, research or teaching
assistantships all over the world. Participants selected include those with strong
academic merit and leadership potential.
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3 0 0 3 S ne l l in g Av e n ue N o r t h
St. Pau l , MN 5 5 1 13 -1 5 9 8
nwc.edu
Change Service Requested
Josh Stokes
Advocate • Fall 2011
C al e nd a r o f Eve nt s
September 15–17
Alumni Show: Cotton
Patch Gospel*
Maranatha Hall
September 17
Football Frenzy!
Campus visit event
October 7
Billy Graham Community
Life Commons Grand
Opening
October 7–9
Homecoming
October 20, 21
Fall Preview Days
Campus visit events
November 11
Symphonic Band
Maranatha Hall
October 27–29
Theatre: Romeo and Juliet*
Patsy Miller Studio Theatre
November 13
College Choir with Three
Rivers Chorale
Benson Great Hall, Bethel
University
November 1–5
Theatre: Romeo and Juliet*
Patsy Miller Studio Theatre
November 8
Varsity Men’s Chorus,
Women’s Chorale and
Jazz Ensemble
Maranatha Hall
November 17, 18
Orchestra Children’s
Concert, with Opera
Workshop
Maranatha Hall
December 2, 3, 4
Christmas at Northwestern*
Maranatha Hall—tickets on
sale October 3
December 16
Fall Commencement
Maranatha Hall
* Tickets available from the
Ticket Office, 651-631-5151.
Events and dates subject to
change. Event times and
details available online at
nwc.edu/events.
For Eagle Athletics schedules
visit nwceagles.com.
Northwestern College | 3003 Snelling Avenue North | St. Paul, MN 55113-1598 | 651-631-5695 | nwc.edu