Portland State University

��ñ�� Alumni – Andreas Rothfuss

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:45:38 +0000

Gordon Govier

��ñ�� Alumni – Andreas Rothfuss

As Chancellor of the University of Tubingen, Andreas Rothfuss leads one of the top research universities in Germany. Becoming Chancellor is not the career that he planned when he came to Portland State University (PSU) in 1992 to work on a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

Andreas came to Portland to prepare for a career in business. And he was also looking for a community of Christian believers. Andreas had been a leader in a group at the University of Mannheim that was a part of SMD, the German affiliate of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES).

International Fellowship

Soon after his arrival in Portland, he connected with ��ñ�� Campus Staff Members Fred Wagner and Ron Riesinger, who were involved with FOCUS (Friends of Overseas Citizens and University Students), part of ��ñ��’s PSU outreach to international students.

“When you go to other countries you get to know a different culture and you ask a lot of questions,” Andreas said. “It’s very helpful to get in touch with Christians. FOCUS is a wonderful program; they have a great love for international students.”

Ron met weekly with Andreas and his wife Jutte for prayer and Bible study. Every Friday afternoon international students gathered at Koinonia House on the PSU campus. “Andreas would bring his guitar to accompany the group of eight to ten from Japan, Ukraine, and other countries,” Ron remembered.

Another meeting was held in the evening for internationals. “Being a grad student, Andreas carefully allocated his time, so he did not come to the International Coffee House,” Ron added. “But Jutta came, bringing freshly made German treats.”FOCUS also introduced Andreas and Jutte to a local family, the Kirkwoods, who hosted them in their home and shared recreational activities so that they could experience more of American culture. They still stay in touch.

International Lessons

Reflecting back on the faith lessons learned during his time at PSU, Andreas said, “I got more love for international students, especially for Asian people.” He hadn’t known any Asians before coming to Portland. “When we went back to Mannheim we started a host family program to help international students get in touch with families, especially Christian families.”

As Andreas continued his studies, he shifted from business administration to education. His PhD work at the University of Cologne focused on the differences between the American and German education systems. “There are a lot of things we can learn from the United States,” he said. “American universities are much more market oriented.”

International Influence

After graduation Andreas took a job with a government ministry which serves students. Six years later he was chosen to be chancellor of the University of Tubingen, one of Germany’s oldest and largest universities.

“I am glad to have a job where I can make an impact on education,” Andreas said. “I have a high responsibility and am in touch with a lot of different people.” The international students at Tubingen have a special place in his heart, although he’s not in contact with them nearly as much as he would like.

Ron and his wife visited Andreas and Jutte and their family in 2008. “God has put him in a unique position of influence,” Ron said. “He is boldly serving Christ, being salt and light in the academy.”

News Keywords

University of Tubingen

SMD

Portland State University

IFES

��ñ�� alumni

International Influence

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:05:34 +0000

News

Gordon Govier

International Influence

Every year hundreds of international students from all over the world graduate from Portland State University (PSU) not only prepared for a career in their field but often with an understanding of the Christian faith that would be unlikely in their home country. FOCUS (Friends of Overseas Citizens and University Students) is part of ��ñ��’s ministry at PSU, working closely with campus officials, five other campus ministries, and local churches to make sure that internationals feel welcomed and have the opportunity to meet members of Portland’s Christian community.

A Ministry of Hospitality
FOCUS offers free airport pickups for newly arriving international students and scholars plus home stays for those who need a place until they secure housing as well as those who want to learn more about American culture. English language classes, and spring workshops to provide tax form assistance are also offered. More than 100 members of Portland’s Christian community, from more than 40 churches, are involved in providing these services.

“The best outcome is seeing these students come to faith, being built up in their faith and trained as leaders, and then being sent out,” said Ron Riesinger, who lives in Portland and is Area Director for ��ñ��’s International Student Ministry (ISM). “They go anywhere in the world.”

Ron well remembers a young couple who came to PSU from Germany 15 years ago. “They were new Christians,” he recalled. “They were only here for one year but they committed themselves to ministry. We had a wonderful time together. The wife came to our International Coffee House every Friday night, ministering to non-Christians. We met every week for prayer and Bible study together. Today the husband is the Chancellor of the University of Tubingen.”

Dedicated to Student Ministry

Growing up in a retail family involved in the jewelry trade, Ron appreciates precision in small details. However his heart isn’t in jewelry. “I had seen what God had done in my life as a student at Oklahoma State University,” he said. “My experience with ��ñ�� changed my life and took me a lot deeper in my faith than through the other campus groups I had experienced.”

In 1991, after serving on campus staff for six years, and then working in a jewelry store for another six years, he was ready to rejoin ��ñ��. A short-term mission trip to Ecuador through his church gave him a new focus. “That really whetted my appetite for international student ministry,” he said.

Some friends invited him to Portland, to climb Mt. Hood, and check out the employment situation. He spent the week discussing international student ministry with Oregon ��ñ�� staff Fred Wagner and never got to the mountain. Ron ultimately accepted Fred’s job offer. He’s been in Portland ever since and now oversees ISM at seven campuses across the Northwest Region.

Keeping the Vision Strong
As a hotbed of liberalism, PSU is hostile to faith in many ways. But FOCUS has such a strong relationship with the campus that PSU officials often ask for additional assistance in dealing with international students. About ten years ago the university realized that students were having trouble filling out IRS tax forms. Fred recruited an accountant, Greg Steward, who eventually joined ��ñ�� staff after volunteering for several years. “In the past few years hundreds of students at PSU have benefitted from Greg’s training sessions,” Ron said.

Lisa Espineli Chinn, ��ñ��’s ISM Director, credits Ron for making the Northwest ��ñ��’s most active ISM region. “Ron has been faithful in keeping the vision of ISM strong in the Northwest Region,” she said. “He has seen growth in the number of staff and is currently overseeing the planting of two new ISM chapters in the region.”

Ministry to international students at PSU predates ��ñ��’s arrival on campus. But today PSU is home to the largest International Student Ministry in the country.
Every year FOCUS has contact with 600-800 international students, about half of the international student population. Ron said ISM started to flourish when the campus Christian groups began to work together and got more of the community involved.

“It’s a very diverse group,” he said, with everyone from Pentecostal churches to Lutheran churches involved. “It’s a lovely expression of the community, a beautiful picture of God’s grace, and God’s mercy, and his eternal family.”

Ron keeps working to expand ISM to more campuses because its significance is undeniable. “These are the movers and shakers of society,” he said. “These are the top five percent from most of these countries. They are going to be the ones that remake their country.”

News Keywords

Ron Riesinger

Portland State University

International Student Ministry

Conversations of Consequence

webteam@intervarsity.org — Tue, 25 Nov 2003 06:00:00 +0000

News

Teresa Buschur

Conversations of Consequence

Fred Wagner, ��ñ�� staff working with International Student Ministries at Portland State University-OR, met Susan at ��ñ��’s coffeehouse event. He was struck by her aliveness to spiritual reality as they discussed their differing views on Truth. Susan’s strong beliefs came from the series of books, Conversations With God, she had avidly read over the past few weeks. She excitedly shared her views and opinions with Fred. She insisted on being included as Fred recruited students to attend a Gospel Conference in California.

At the conference, she went to every 7:00 a.m.

At the conference, she went to every 7:00 a.m. devotional meeting. When one of the retreat speakers extended an invitation to receive Jesus, Susan raised her hand. On the way back to Portland, she periodically hummed “Amazing Grace.” At a restaurant, she opened her wallet and pulled out a picture of Jesus, telling the other Chinese students there, “This is my best friend.”

But a few days later, when Fred set up a meeting with her he thought he would begin studying the Bible with her. Susan arrived expecting Fred to read the two Conversations With God books she brought. They talked for over an hour, and Fred left puzzled wondering, “For someone who had a passion for reading spiritual books she has little familiarity with the Bible.”

Reluctantly, Fred picked up Conversations With God and began to read. By the end of the first chapter, it was obvious that this was pure New Age spirituality. “God is beyond rationality. Traditional western thought of good and evil, right and wrong is dissolved.” Fred wondered how to respond, as Susan was the coordinator for New Age spirituality for all of Malaysia. Susan understood her mission to be bringing people back to their godselves, which means that the truth about God comes from you, not ministers, priests, or the Bible. Whenever your feelings about God contradict what you’ve read, forget the words.

Throughout September, Fred met with Susan for Bible study. Fred expected Susan to deny the truth of the Bible, given her status as a Buddhist teacher and New Age evangelist. The denial never came. From the beginning, Susan wanted to learn as much about Jesus and Christianity as she could. She had simply never known God’s Word.

Since she cried out for a Creator, Fred thought it was best to start studying God’s creation of the world in the Book of Genesis. Everything was brand new to her. They also studied the New Testament Gospels. She held a tissue in one hand as tears poured down her face as they studied Jesus’ free gift of salvation.

During one meeting, they studied the many verses proclaiming Jesus as the Lamb of God and discussed the meaning of his death. The following Sunday, Susan attended a Chinese Church meeting on the campus of Portland State University. On Monday when Susan met with Fred, she excitedly reported, “The sermon picked up right where we left off. What the pastor shared enlightened me. He cleared my doubts. He said that Jesus chose to lay down his life in total surrender, absolute trust, unconditional love, and the death of the ego. Today, I received Jesus as my Savior to redeem my soul.”

At their next meeting, Fred introduced Susan to the Gospel of John. He suggested she read chapter four, and she was so excited that he also recommended other chapters, too. Susan called Fred the next day to tell him that she had read the entire Gospel of John. A week later, she had finished reading John’s Gospel for the fourth time.

During another meeting, she told Fred she was troubled because she hadn’t had a meaningful conversation with her brother in more than six weeks. Fred prayed with her and that very night Susan talked with her brother for over an hour.

Through study and prayer, Susan is growing in her relationship with Jesus Christ. She was not familiar with the Bible, but once introduced to God’s Word she wanted to know and learn everything she could. There are many students on college campuses that are curious about spiritual issues but simply don’t know where to turn for answers. ��ñ�� seeks to help guide these students in their search for truth.

News Keywords

Portland State University

Portland State University

��ñ���� Alumni – Andreas Rothfuss

��ñ���� Alumni – Andreas Rothfuss

International Influence

International Influence

Conversations of Consequence

Conversations of Consequence

��ñ�� Alumni – Andreas Rothfuss

��ñ�� Alumni – Andreas Rothfuss