Nathan Schott 鈥�13 spent only a short time on campus at Augsburg, but it was both active and memorable. The Maple Grove Senior High School graduate was an avid sports fan and Twins season ticket holder who wanted to major in English and become a sports writer. Because he also had muscular dystrophy and was confined to a wheelchair, one of his counselors recommended Augsburg for its ease and accessibility.
鈥淲e hadn鈥檛 heard too much about Augsburg, so we set up a tour. It was one of the first places we visited, and when we saw what sort of help Nathan would get, we thought this must be the place,鈥� his mother, Teri, recalls. Augsburg鈥檚 CLASS (Center for Learning and Accessible Student Services) program is designed to help those students who need extra help, whether they are coping with autism, ADHD, mental illness, learning disabilities, or a chronic health condition like Nathan鈥檚. The services are broad, ranging from securing appropriate accommodations to helping with time management, course selection, and any other challenges that might be better met with individual support.
鈥淥n a typical day, I drove him to school and dropped him off, then stayed on campus while he went to classes on his own,鈥� Teri says. Nathan made friends. He used underground tunnels to get around. Helpers took notes in his classes and filed them where he could pick them up. The late 鈥淧astor Dave鈥� Wold took Nathan under his wing and made sure there was a parking space behind the church for the family car.
鈥淚t seemed like everyone wanted to assist him, and he felt like it was a good place to be,鈥� says Nathan鈥檚 father, Chuck. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 easy to go into that type of environment with that many students and be accepted for his disability, but he was very comfortable there. He was always eager to get to class in the morning, and he often went back at night for lectures and other functions. He enjoyed it.鈥�
During spring break of his first year, however, Nathan, the oldest of the Schotts鈥� three children, contracted pneumonia, from which he never recovered. He died on April 1, 2010. His family received many sympathy notes from Nathan鈥檚 Augsburg friends and their parents. They grieved, but in their grief, they wanted to do more.
鈥淲e wanted to do something to honor Nathan and keep his memory alive,鈥� says Teri. 鈥淢y older sister, Mary Rose, actually got the ball rolling. We had planned a tour of Augsburg, and she set up a meeting with Doug Scott, Augsburg鈥檚 director of leadership gifts, without telling us.鈥� After conferring with Scott, the Schotts decided to establish the Nathan R. Schott Scholarship Fund and donated the initial $25,000 to set it up. Since both Teri and Chuck are the youngest of seven siblings, reaching out to extended family for support made perfect sense.
鈥淲e are so pleased that the endowment has now gone over $100,000 and will continue to grow,鈥� says Chuck. Designated for CLASS program participants, the scholarship fund has already helped eight students.
The couple, who moved to Hendersonville, Tennessee, two years ago, are grateful for the close connections they maintain with Augsburg. They named their new miniature dachshund puppy Auggie Doggie. They welcomed Scott for a visit to their new city. They have also attended past scholarship luncheons and met with some of the students they have helped.
鈥淗earing about past scholarship recipients and what they have achieved must give those students such a great feeling and sense of accomplishment,鈥� Chuck notes. 鈥淔or us as donors, it is so rewarding to learn of their successes. To be able to lessen their cost burden by providing financial aid means so much. We are very proud to be able to provide this scholarship to the students.鈥�