Presidential Gifts
Augustana Ring
For over a century Augustana College graduates have carried on a tradition of academic excellence and service to others. They are prepared to meet the challenges of career and family to share their skills and talents with others. The Augustana College tradition is grounded in a very real spirit of community that creates in its students a strong feeling of belonging and a vital sense of loyalty to the College.
Augustana College Class Rings symbolize that spirit of community. It is a tangible reminder of the ideas and ideals which are so important at Augustana.
As the torch is passed and a new chapter in the college's history begins, the Inauguration Committee asked representative groups of the Augustana community to share in President Oliver's love of inspiring words (and a good story) by commemorating this special occasion with a gift to the President's personal library. Listed below are the books that were presented to the President during the ceremony and their inscriptions.
100 Semesters
by: William M. Chace
From: the Augustana Student Association
Inscription:
"All of us begin new adventures. They do not stop once we reach a certain point in our lives. On behalf of the Augustana College student body, we welcome President Rob Oliver to begin
a new adventure with us. Here's to 100 great semesters!"
What's so Amazing about Grace?
by: Philip Yancey
From: the Augustana Alumni Council
Inscription: Dear President Oliver,
Many Augustana Alumni think of our alma mater as a kind of oasis, a respite, a sanctuary. Our years at Augustana were moments of learning, searching, striving, and failing—all within the context of a place we called home. Augustana was—and continues to be for many of us—a soft place to land. Maybe that’s something of what grace is—a soft place to land. In Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, we see a child who has the audacity to search—and fail. And when we see the prodigal love of the Father, who has the boldness to celebrate the lost, we see grace in action. Grace embraces us just as and exactly where we are—and says, “You can always come home.” As Augustana continues to be a home that prepares students for a life of service, we pray that these future alumni would know God’s grace and, in knowing that grace, that they would step out boldly in faith. Our prayer for you, as you begin your presidency of our home, is that you, too, would experience God’s grace and that it would embolden you for reckless and audacious service to this place.
A Dr. Seuss Collection:
Oh, the Places You'll Go! * Horton Hears A Who! * If I Ran the Zoo * Oh, the Thinks You Can Think * Green Eggs and Ham
by: Dr. Seuss
From: the Administrators of Augustana College
If I Ran the Zoo
Inscription:
As our new zookeeper we know you'll take us from being “just any old zoo” to a “wonder!” People will talk. People will gawk. “'WOW!' They'll all cheer, ‘What this zoo must be worth! It's the gol-darndest zoo on the face of the earth!'”
Oh, the Thinks You Can Think
Inscription:
“Think and wonder. Wonder and think. There are so many thinks that a Thinker can think!” As our chief thinker we offer you this book to celebrate all of the big thinks to come…
Green Eggs and Ham
Inscription: To Augie's own Sam-I-Am, you persistently encourage us to value Augustana like always and to dream of an Augustana like never before.
“Thank you! Thank you, Sam-I-Am!”
Horton Hears A Who!
Inscription:
To our great listener, who empowers each Who—no matter how small.
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Inscription: “Congratulations!
Today is your day. You're off to great places!
You're off and away!” Thanks for taking us with you!
A Collection of Faculty Works:
God, Creation, and all that Jazz
by: Ann Pederson
Just as in the time of the Apostles
by: Geoffrey Dipple
Provoking the Gospel of Luke
by: Richard W. Swanson
From: the Faculty of Augustana College
Inscription in each: "Writen by faculty and presented by the faculty, we give you these books as our commitment to scholarship, teaching, community service and your presidency."
Beyond Words
by: Frederick Buechner
From: the Staff of Augustana College
Inscription: "In appreciation of your vision of hope and words of insight, we the Support Staff of Augustana College wish you God's blessings as you lead this community to challenge itself and the world around it."
The Lutheran Handbook
From: the South Dakota ELCA Synod
Inscription: "All you ever needed to know to lead a college of the Lutheran Church you learned at: a potluck dinner, mid-week worship, confirmation, over coffee, from Dr. Martin Luther, etc., etc. Hope this brings you smiles along with wisdom!"
Faithful and Courageous: Christians in Unsettling Times
by: Bishop Mark S. Hanson
Inscription: Receive this book as a sign of the partnership we have in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. May Bishop Hanson's book inspire "holy conversation about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in unsettling times." (preface)
The Chronicles of Narnia
by: C. S. Lewis
From: the Augustana Board of Trustees
Inscription: "Rob, when you were seeking the Augustana Presidency you urged
us to imagine, called us to believe in and rally around, a bright
vision of an Augustana "on the move." You painted for us a vivid picture
using a reference to this book, noting that in Narnia (first in
whispered tones, and then more boldly) the news spread: "Aslan is on the
move."
The whispering is over -- bold voices from the Board of Trustees
and beyond are joining your voice, and sharing your vision, that
"Augustana is (and will be) on the move." Yours will be a wonderful and
exciting chapter in the Augustana story -- we look forward to sharing it
with you."
“You are the same today that you are going to be in five years
from now except for two things: the people with whom you associate and the books you read.”
~
Author and business guru, Charles Jones