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The Black and Gold Society recognizes the College’s most loyal donors who consistently support our mission and vision through annual contributions. The amount of the gift does not matter; giving consistently to �鶹��Ƶ does.

Just as Pastor Eric Norelius and his Swedish Lutheran Church made a significant investment in establishing �鶹��Ƶ in 1862, this society recognizes those whose leadership-level giving sustains it today. 

Members of the 1862 Society rise to the challenge of continuing the tradition of academic excellence for generations to come. 

The 1862 Society renews each year and recognizes those who contribute $1,500 or more to the �鶹��Ƶ Fund in that fiscal year (June 1-May31).

Visionary leaders founded the school, sought its permanent home, and committed themselves to building a reputation for excellence and service that defines �鶹��Ƶ today. The Founders Society expresses gratitude toward individuals and organizations whose gifts have made a significant difference in the lives of students and further advanced the hopes of its founders. Donors will receive invitations to special events throughout the year.

The �鶹��Ƶ Heritage Partnership (GHP) recognizes those who have established planned gifts, endowment gifts of $25,000+, and those who have pledged $50,000+ to create a new endowment fund. Established in 1988, GHP celebrates those who have chosen to make a commitment to the College that will last beyond their living years.

To date, more than 1,200 dedicated alumni and friends have chosen to make the impact of a lifetime through a legacy gift

“ALTHOUGH I WAS NEVER A STUDENT AT GUSTAVUS, I HAVE BEEN A FAN FOR YEARS.”

I went to a couple of nearby colleges—Martin Luther College and Mankato State University––and then to the University of Iowa for my master’s. After finishing my graduate degree, I got a job as organist at House of Prayer, a Lutheran church in Richfield with a lot of Gusties.

I also filled in as interim organist at �鶹��Ƶ for David Fienen, when he took sabbaticals. I experienced chapel services, life on campus, the �鶹��Ƶ community. As I always say, Chaplain Elvee converted me to Gustieism. It was wonderful working with him. When I was a young guy starting out in the business, Elvee taught me a lot about music and worship.

I wanted my giving to go to something related to church music, and I have had a great connection to �鶹��Ƶ. This was the place. I knew that �鶹��Ƶ would welcome the gift, and that it would be put to good use.

It was during this time, in conversations with Chaplain Elvee, that I decided to endow the cantor position at Christ Chapel. The cantor is the person who leads the assembly of believers in song. Being an organist, I’m a little biased, but I think the organ is the best instrument to lead worship. I like guitars on Saturday night, and on Sunday morning I like the organ.

I first wrote my intention for the cantor position into my will. But then, about 10 years ago, I did some more serious estate planning. My dad had been a farmer, but he didn’t want me to be a farmer. Instead, he encouraged my musical interests. He did leave me his land, though, distributed over five different farms. When I first started my estate planning, I created a charitable remainder trust with the College. A year ago, I did that a second time. There are still two farms left that will ultimately go to fund the endowment.

Ultimately, the whole purpose of creating this endowed position is to ensure the tradition of the cantor and organ. Worship based in hymns is less subject to the fleeting styles of the day. Hymns don’t always have to be old, but they do have to have substance and sustenance, not just emotion.

As I was sitting in Christ Chapel recently, I was reminded why this is important. To see all the students; to hear the brass, the choir, the soloist, the student organist. Everything was there. You can do new and creative things with hymns, but they have a historical substance that has lasted for thousands of years. In making my gift, I hope this kind of worship continues for years ahead at �鶹��Ƶ.

ABOUT KIETZER

Kietzer joined the staff of House of Prayer in 1973, where he still serves as organist. He’s held leadership roles in various national organizations as well as �鶹��Ƶ Friends of Music.

“IT MIGHT SOUND UNUSUAL, A 26–YEAR-OLD PUTTING HIS ALMA MATER IN HIS ESTATE PLAN.”

Since the fall of 2019, I have been working in Trondheim, Norway, as a project manager for Epic Systems Corporation. I work with Norwegian healthcare and IT specialists to bring the first shared electronic medical-record system to the country. It’s an exciting role, and the project holds large potential for the future of healthcare in Norway.

Both at work and outside the office, I rely every day on the skills I learned at �鶹��Ƶ. At first glance, majoring in philosophy and religion may not sound like a formula for success within a major software company, but my humanities education has prepared me with the necessary skills to succeed. I regularly need to express complicated concepts to people who do not speak English as their first language. All of the papers I wrote, the challenging conversations I had with professors, and the co-curricular activities that I took part in prepared me for working in this fast-paced industry.

More importantly, �鶹��Ƶ prepared me to be a global citizen. As an ex-pat, I often find myself relying on the education I gained about other cultures, especially Scandinavian culture, to inform how I live with my new neighbors. Norwegian culture has a value called dugnad, which focuses on voluntary service for the community. During the COVID pandemic, the Norwegian government invoked dugnad to encourage the entire country to help protect the most vulnerable. I find this ties in well with �鶹��Ƶ’s value of service. When I see the overwhelming support the alumni community gave �鶹��Ƶ students returning to campus this fall, I see this value lived out.

I saw this support for �鶹��Ƶ during my sophomore year, when I started working with the Office of Advancement as a class officer and student ambassador. My own giving began with a contribution to the senior class gift. Recently, I made a planned gift to the College. I learned about financial planning at a young age. When I was in seventh grade, my father, an ELCA pastor, took me to Thrivent to open my first mutual fund. After graduation, I spoke with a financial planner again about what I wanted my legacy to be, how I wanted to give back to institutions I care about even after my lifetime. It was clear during the course of these conversations that naming �鶹��Ƶ as the beneficiary to one of my life insurance policies would allow me to continue helping the school that formed me into the person I am today.

“NOW I AM ABLE TO GIVE MORE, AND MY COMPANY KICKS IN WITH A MATCH.”

Looking back at how �鶹��Ƶ prepared me for my career, I appreciate that my education was so well rounded. I have fond memories of “Zen & Japanese Culture” and “God Today”–– two unrelated classes that broadened my perspective on life. My current job blends art and science, in that I have to think criti- cally about data but also hypothesize around what the data says and how to act on it. Thanks to my major in communication studies, I had plenty of practice writing, speaking, and working in groups, which are critical skills in the workplace.

Because college was such an influential and pivotal time in my life, it’s only natural that �鶹��Ƶ was one of the first places I gave to after graduation. I didn’t contribute a lot (maybe $25 or $50 per year), but I wanted to get in the practice of writing that check. Charitable giving was something my parents had instilled in me growing up.

Giving is something I am so passionate about. Adobe is a phenomenal company to work for, and they are extremely generous and encouraging of philanthropic involvement. Not only do they match my donations dollar for dollar, but I can also “earn” charitable contributions by volunteering. For every 10 hours of time I serve, I am awarded $250, which I can direct to any organization of my choosing.

I also look for other opportunities to stay connected with �鶹��Ƶ, even here in Indianapolis. Recently, I discovered a Gustie alum who lives around the corner from me. Our kids are about the same age and we both work remotely, so we meet up weekly to get away from our home offices. We’ve even organized events together for the local alumni chapter.

ABOUT CUSACK

Cusack earned her degree in communication studies at �鶹��Ƶ and her MBA at Butler University. She has worked for Adobe for more than a decade and now serves as a Solution Consultant specializing in business analytics. Kaela lives in Indianapolis with her husband and two children.