Dr. Paul Pribbenow has led Augsburg University for two decades. It has been a remarkable tenure, guiding an urban institution through changing expectations for higher education, ambitious campaigns, a pandemic, and events in Minneapolis that reached directly into the lives of Augsburg’s students and neighbors.
He’ll retire as president of Augsburg in June 2027, and I want to recognize him for something that has meant a great deal to JGA: his willingness to think alongside us—all of us—about our common work.
As he has served, he has shared what he has learned with fellow presidents, including those beginning their service through the Council of Independent Colleges’ New Presidents Program. His colleagues have had good reason to seek his perspective.
At JGA, we have had another way to learn from Paul: his Notes for the Reflective Practitioner. We first asked Paul if we could share Notes with a wider audience more than 20 years ago and have been pleased to sustain that partnership over the years. Paul recently told us that the May installment will be his last. This makes it a fitting moment to express our gratitude for all he has given his readers.
What has made Notes so valuable is Paul’s ability to connect our work to the wider world. His reflections include ideas from education, faith, ethics, the arts, civic life, and the daily responsibilities of leadership. He understands that the work we share cannot be separated into neat professional categories. Fundraising is part of an institution’s larger effort to live out its purpose and serve people well.
This way of thinking has always resonated with JGA. To be effective in fundraising, we need to understand more than how to raise money. We need to pay attention to an institution’s history, values, and aspirations, as well as the communities around it and the ideas that shape its future. Paul’s reflections offer a kind of a liberal arts education to practitioners, connecting ideas across various fields and asking us to act on what we learn.
Paul may be retiring from the Augsburg presidency, but I know his curiosity and counsel will continue. On Tuesday, November 3, JGA is hosting a webinar during which he and I will discuss his experience and what may lie ahead. It will be another chance to hear from a leader who has helped so many of us see the larger work we share.
Thank you, Paul, for your partnership, your wise counsel, and reminder to reflect a little more deeply before we get back to work.
