Northland College

Northland College
  • Academics
  • Campus Life
  • Admissions
  • Athletics
  • Centers
  • Sustainability
Search
  • Directory
  • Campus Map
  • Calendar
  • Alumni
  • Giving
  • News
More...
  • Academics
    • Undergraduate
    • Faculty
    • Resources
    • Opportunities
      • Internships
      • Undergraduate Research
      • Study Abroad
      • Off-campus Learning
      • Student Jobs
    • Graduate Success
    • Course Catalog
    • Transcript Request
    • Commencement
  • Campus Life
    • Dining
    • Housing
    • Outdoor Orientation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Indigenous Cultures Center
        • Native Student Offerings
        • Powwow & Awareness
        • Community Outreach
        • Native American Museum
    • Get Involved
    • Bicycles & Gear Rental
    • Fitness Center
    • Services
      • Counseling Services
      • Accommodations
      • Health Services
      • Safety & Security
  • Admissions
    • Visit Campus
    • Tuition
    • Financial Aid
      • Scholarships
      • Grants
      • Loans
      • FAFSA
      • Veterans
    • Enroll
    • Meet Your Admissions Counselor
    • College Fairs
  • Athletics
    • Athletic Website
    • Athletic Facilities
    • Varsity Club Membership
    • Buy Team Gear
    • Hall of Fame
    • Annual Golf Classic
    • Camps, Leagues, and Tournaments
    • Give to Athletics
  • Centers
    • Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation
      • Our Work
      • Student Research Opportunities
      • Lab Services
      • Burke Center in the News
      • Water Summit
    • Center for Rural Communities
      • Rural Livelihood Initiatives
        • Quality of Life Database
        • Northwoods Community Survey
        • Opinion Polls
        • Local Food Systems
      • Human-Environment Connection
      • Publications
      • Data Visualizations
      • Student Opportunities
    • Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
      • LoonWatch
        • About Loons
        • Protect Loons
        • Get Involved
        • Loon Appreciation Week and Poster
      • Timber Wolf Alliance
        • Wolf Awareness Week and Poster
        • Learn About Wolves
        • TWA Speakers Bureau
        • Wolf Status Reports
        • Vision for Wolves
        • Great Lakes Wolf Symposium
      • Youth Outreach Programs
      • SONWA Book Awards
        • SONWA Seals
      • Sigurd Olson Legacy
      • Apostle Islands Stewardship Symposium
      • Intangible Magazine
      • Forest Lodge Educational Campus
        • Rental Information
    • Hulings Rice Food Center
      • Compost Center
      • Larson Food Lab
      • Campus Gardens
      • Student Opportunities
  • Sustainability
  • Alumni
    • Alumni Board
      • Alumni Awards
    • Get Involved
      • Ask Our Alumni Panels
    • Fall Festival
      • Camp Brother Bear
    • Pride Pack, Apparel, and Merchandise
    • Class Notes
    • Transcript Request
    • Update Your Information
    • Events
    • Give
    • Oral History Project
  • Giving
    • Christopher T. Morgan Scholarship
    • Meet Our Team
  • About Northland
    • President Chadwick L. Dayton
    • Northland College Magazine
    • Campus Sculpture Tour
    • Advocacy & Public Discourse
    • Consumer Information

Walking in Sigurd Olson’s Footsteps

Supporting Stewardship Through Scholarships

January 19, 2021

Share

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • email

Donna and George ArbaughAbout the time Sigurd F. Olson was crafting his first book, The Singing Wilderness, Donna Arbaugh and her new husband, George, were building a summer place near the Boundary Waters. It was 1954 and using only hand tools, they built a small, off-the-grid cabin on a lot they leased from the government for $50 per year. “Newlyweds can afford that,” she said during a phone conversation from her home in Tacoma, Washington.

In the early years, the couple lived in Iowa City where George attended graduate school and Donna taught third grade. Afterward, George took a position as a philosophy professor at Pacific Lutheran University while Donna worked in administration and raised a gaggle of boys. Summers were always for the cabin.

“For a few years, we had three boys, two small dogs, and Charley the cat all in the station wagon,” she said. “No wonder we drove straight through for thirty-six hours, taking turns driving and sleeping for two nights and a day.”

George died eighteen years ago, but Donna still stays at the cabin for four months every summer—even last summer during the pandemic. “I go back [to Tacoma] and people want to know if I’m happy to be back and I say, ‘no,’” she laughed.

Donna heard Sigurd Olson speak a few times in Ely, and her interest in him and his philosophy has grown through the years. Her acquaintance with people at the Listening Point Foundation, an Ely nonprofit dedicated to preserving Olson’s Listening Point cabin on Burntside Lake, led her to Northland College and the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute.

Because of her life in academia and teaching, she was intrigued by Northland’s unique environmental liberal arts mission and its commitment to cultivating environmental leaders who are grounded in the liberal arts. “I’ve always been into environmental issues,” she said. “Over the years, I got even more involved.”

In 2009, Donna established the Arbaugh Endowed Scholarship at Northland College. The scholarship aids a junior or senior majoring in a field focused on environmental studies or sustainability, and twelve Northland students have received the scholarship.

The 2014 recipient, Carissa Hudson, of Greenville, Texas, who majored in natural resources and was a research assistant in a plant ecology lab, wrote: “Attending Northland has opened so many doors for me and I too strive to walk in the footsteps of Sigurd Olson.”

Donna has been impressed by the students of Northland College and the College itself. She loves Northland’s emphasis on environmental studies and appreciates its Native American studies program. So much so that she has included Northland College and the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute in her estate planning.

For example, she intends to establish the Arbaugh Singing Wilderness Endowment through a gift from her estate. The endowment will provide on-going financial support for activities of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, including internships and fellowships that help create the next generation of environmental leaders.

 Donna was able to visit campus in the fall of 2007 to attend a talk by David Backes, author of A Wilderness Within: The Life of Sigurd F. Olson. And last year, she attended a graveside memorial service for Bob Olson, Sigurd’s son, in Seeley, Wisconsin.

“Donna is truly a kindred spirit,” said Alan Brew, executive director of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute. “She manifests the core values of the College and its Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute through her life choices, her philanthropy, and her vibrant engagement with the world.”
  • Two representatives from Xcel Energy stand in a greenhouse with President Chad Dayton and Director of Grants and Sponsored Awards Lisa Williamson with a big check for $11,000

    Scholarship Power

    Xcel Energy has a history of supporting environmental initiatives at Northland College, and the upcoming academic year will be no different. On August 9, 2023…

    Scholarship Power
  • Lynn Rued stands in front of a frozen Lake Superior.

    Sparks Fly

    Lynn Rued’s Northland story starts at a classic north woods fall pot-luck—the kind where you bring your lawn chair and a dish to share and…

    Sparks Fly
  • Mary Van Evera Visual Arts Center

    In Gratitude and Recognition

    After decades of generous support, The DeWitt and Caroline Van Evera Foundation will sunset their operations this year and make a final gift to Northland…

    In Gratitude and Recognition
  • Red canoe on a lake

    Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute

    The Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute provides leadership in citizen science, outreach, and education on regional conservation issues while fostering the next generation of environmental leaders.

    Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
  • Northland College Alumni Dinner 2019

    Fall Fest Returns September 21–24, 2022

    After two years without in-person reunions, Fall Festival is returning to campus September 21–24, 2022. “Reconnecting with the campus community is important for our alumni…

    Fall Fest Returns September 21–24, 2022
  • Northland College Professor Emeritus Bruce and Ruth Goetz

    Giving Beyond the Classroom

    In 1991, Bruce Goetz, a professor of geology, and his wife, Ruth, gave the first $1,000 gift to the Tim Carpenter Memorial Scholarship Endowment. Tim…

    Giving Beyond the Classroom
  • Visit
  • Info
  • Apply

News

  • Wrestling to Join Northland College’s Sports Lineup

    Northland College Athletics is thrilled to announce the launch of men’s and…

  • Burke Center Launches Buoys in Lake Namekagon to Fill Knowledge Gap

    The Lake Namekagon system in northwestern Wisconsin is set to receive long-term…

  • A RARE Opportunity

    I’ve lived my whole life in Wisconsin. It’s a great place to…

  • Outdoor Education Graduates Win Gold

    Just a few weeks after Commencement, Cameron Jaeger and Liam Jansen are…

  • The Philosophy of Video Games

    My first semester teaching at Northland was not quite what I expected…

  • Northland College Athletics to Offer Youth Sports Camps

    Northland College’s Athletics Department will host several upcoming sport camps for youth…

  • Financial Aid Makes College Possible for Aspiring Third Grade Teacher

    Alyssa Hoffman is a first-generation college student from Park Falls, Wisconsin, who…

  • Northland College Announces Daniel Schumacher as Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

    Northland College is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Schumacher as…

  • Congratulations, Class of 2023

    Congratulations, graduates! Northland College is proud to have welcomed 106 graduates into…

  • Northland College to Celebrate Graduates at its 2023 Commencement Ceremony

    Northland College is pleased to announce its 112th Commencement Ceremony, which will…

News Archive »

1411 Ellis Avenue
Ashland, WI 54806
(715) 682-1699 | Map
  • About Northland
  • Constitution Day at Northland
  • Consumer Information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Take a Class
  • Employment
  • Campus Store

my.northland.edu

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 Northland College. All rights reserved.

https://www.northland.edu/news/soei-news/walking-in-sigurd-olsons-footsteps

Our website uses cookies for necessary functions and to enhance your browsing experience. Learn more in our Privacy Policy.

Accept & Continue