Kansas City, Libraries, and Football Stadiums Make for a Good Month:)

Wow again!!! Can I start consecutive blogs with the same word?? The last few weeks have been amazing for me and for Augustana College. I suppose I should start by sharing the good news from the college.

On September 13, it was confirmed that some anonymous donors had given Augustana College a gift of 6 million dollars. The gift was directed towards the renovation of the Mikkelsen Library, which I can see right outside my work window:) This was a real double whammy for me! First of all, I LOVE libraries. I’m not kidding you. Regardless of how geeky it sounds, I always want to visit the library wherever I go. My favorite library so far has to be the Central Library in Copley Square in Boston. As far as I’m concerned, it’s only rivaled by Fenway as the coolest building in town (You will find that I have a slight tendency to exaggerate at times).

The other reason the donation was so inspiring, is because it was anonymous. The donors simply asked that a plaque be placed on the library stating, “Soli Deo Gloria.”(To God Alone the Glory). What a revelation! It kind of makes you want to live your daily life in such a way that you could repeat “Soli Deo Gloria” at the end of each evening.

All right, on to other good news. After a couple weeks of enjoying the idea of a new library, Augie was blessed with another large donation. This time Bob and Kari Hall gave 6.1 million dollars for the construction of a new football stadium on campus. Rumor has it that it might be done in time for the 2008 season. Dug into a hill, sport turf, thousands of people streaming across campus on a crisp fall day to enjoy a game, tailgating, NSIC championship banners, I’m loving it!!! Hey 2008ers, you better apply now so you can enjoy the new stadium as well!

Last bit of good news, I got to travel to Kansas City last week for a college fair. I met a lot of cool people, and I got to visit my brother(Pictured above with me). He’s an Augie grad who’s currently working with severely handicapped adults and going to seminary. He’s a pretty nice kid who lives with seven other guys. You can imagine what his house looks like!

Wow!!!! Welcome to the start of the school year! The last few weeks have been a blur as everyone has transitioned from summer life/vacations into studying mode. For my part, this change was more abrupt as I returned from Nicaragua just a few days before the start of the school year.

My time in Nicaragua was amazing! I lived there from 2003 – 2005, not that long after I graduated from Augie. I decided to return this August to visit all the great friends I made from my first stint there. I spent two weeks hanging out, doing some sightseeing, and eating a lot of Nicaraguan food.

My biggest highlights included: “Jugando la plancha” with my three year old godson Diego Martin(Pictured above with me and former missionary and Augie alumni Tom Madison), watching a professional baseball game between Managua and Granada at the Denis Martinez National Stadium, salsa dancing at the top of a crater lake, and attending multiple church services with all my old friends!

Overall, I would say my trip was spiritually, emotionally, and physically rejuvenating! The most exciting part is that I returned to Augie just in time for freshman move-in. It was awesome to see 430 new faces entering into Bergsaker and Solberg Hall. They provided a lot of energy to the Augustana Campus. Hopefully all of you 2008ers have started working on your applications. Get started soon, so that you can be part of an even bigger class next year!!!

Free tips for filling out your application: (Apply to Augustana College)
1) LIST ALL OF YOUR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES!!! That means youth group, donating blood, school choir, student council, high school basketball, community service and everything else you have done! Don’t cheat yourself on this one. Many schools use this section of your application to determine part of your scholarship award. Augustana is no exception to the rule.

2) APPLY EARLY! Try to finish with your application materials in the months of September and October. This will guarantee that you are on time for all the scholarships that a school might possibly give. It will also save you a lot of stress during the holidays.

3) DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK YOUR ADMISSION COUNSELOR! Write or call your admission representative with any questions you might have about the application process. That is what we’re here for!

Blog #1/A History of Justin Mootz

Hey everyone! My name is Justin Mootz and I'm an admission counselor here at Augustana. I'm going to start blogging about life, admissions, and everything in between. I thought that before I start, I should give you a little background information about myself.

I was more or less a Sioux Falls kid for most of my life (A little bit of Marshall, MN in me as well). I graduated from Roosevelt HS in Sioux Falls and enrolled at Augustana College way back in 1997. I was a pretty average kid in high school, but Augustana really changed me. When I came to college, I met a lot of friends and professors who challenged me. By the time I was done with my four years, I had won a conference championship in tennis, been vice-president of the student senate, spent three months in Spain, become the leader of a student bible study, and earned majors in Government and Spanish.

I graduated from Augie in 2001 (That's four years for those of you who are counting). After that, Donn Grinager, the study abroad coordinator, helped me to get a job teaching English in Japan. I spent two great years living and working two hours northwest of Tokyo. After Japan, I spent about two and a half years working in Nicaragua with the Lutheran Church. Both were amazing experiences that I'm sure I'll refer to in the future.

After returning to the United States at the beginning of 2006, I took a job with the Admission Office here at Augustana. I figured that I spent so much time bragging about Augie that I might as well get paid for it! I work with students from Western South Dakota, Western Nebraska andWyoming (as well as CA, NE, OR, WA, ID, and UT) for the admission office and I am also the women's tennis coach. I'm looking forward to another busy and exciting year of meeting great students and talking about the opportunities for them at Augustana!