Announcements

Syllabus Day for Fall 2026 is Tuesday, September 15. Please plan to attend the 45-minute session with your professor, where you will review the syllabus and be assigned any pre-work. See times and Zoom links here.

Explore the history of writing, publishing, and libraries at Luther Seminary. Come to the library’s reading room any time during Fall RFS when the library is open to explore the history of writing and publication and the role libraries have played at each stage of the seminary’s history. The exhibit draws entirely from Luther’s rare book room and library resources and features illuminated manuscripts, papyri, art, and more. The exhibit will be open during regular library hours—10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, September 18, and during the week of RFS (Monday September 21 to Friday September 25.) For information contact Bryant Kumlin at bkumlin002@luthersem.edu.

Open Enrollment is the time each fall for all employees to make benefit elections for the coming year. For 2027 elections, Open Enrollment with Portico will begin in late October and close in early November. As a result of Portico’s offerings this year, we want to inform you of two changes that will impact employee out-of-pocket costs:

• Change 1. Increase in Medical Plan Premiums. Portico is increasing all medical plan premiums by 15%. Because Luther Seminary is committed to affordable and comprehensive employee benefits, we will continue covering 91% of total premiums, which means employees will continue to pay about 9% of their premium. In the high-deductible plan, employee costs will go up slightly—family plans will increase about $26 per month, individual and plus-one plans will increase by smaller amounts. Employees in the co-pay plan will also see an increase in premiums—the 2027 rates will be available from Portico soon. Sharing these cost increases between the seminary and employees makes it more manageable for all.
• Change 2. Annual Deductibles. Portico is also increasing annual deductibles by $500–$1,000 depending on the plan. For employee-only plans, the annual deductible is increasing from $2,000 to $2,500. For spouse and family coverage plans, the annual deductible is increasing from $4,000 to $5,000.

On Wednesday, October 14, from 9–10:30 a.m. in OCC 10, the seminary’s Portico representatives will be on campus to present plan details and answer your questions. Additional information and calendar invitations to follow. All staff and faculty are invited to attend this presentation. If you have questions about these changes or about Open Enrollment generally, please contact Carrie Johnson (cjohnson007@luthersem.edu) or me (jahrens001@luthersem.edu).
Thank you for your commitment to Luther Seminary,
Joe Ahrens
Controller

In this devotion, Carol Seilhymer ’16 M.Div., says that God extends mercy to all people though we do not deserve it. Read today’s God Pause.

We are pleased to announce that Christopher Valentine has accepted the position of Programmer Analyst at Augsburg University as part of our shared services IT program. Christopher will transition from being an employee of Luther Seminary to being an employee of Augsburg University on September 14. In his new role, Christopher will be part of the Enterprise Solutions Team supporting the Workday implementation at Augsburg. While Christopher is becoming an Augsburg employee on the 14, we will do a gradual transition of his work responsibilities while we work to bring in a replacement. Christopher joined Luther Seminary in February 2025 and has been a valuable member of the User Support Team, supporting faculty, staff, and students with a high level of skill and professionalism. Please join us in congratulating Christopher on this exciting new opportunity!

You are invited to participate in worship for Fall RFS 1 and 2. We are looking for several volunteers (student, staff, or faculty) to help with communion and ushering. Please fill out this form by Monday September 14 to indicate your interest and chapel staff will reach out with more details as we get closer. Thanks, everyone!