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Join the Vespers Choir

Vespers concert

Are you someone who:

  • Loves singing Christmas music in a choir?
  • Doesn’t have time to sign up for a whole season of involvement
  • Wants to join the company of musicians at Augsburg’s annual Advent Vespers services at Central Lutheran Church?

If so, then Vespers Choir is for you!

Commitment:

  • 3 consecutive Tuesday evening rehearsals starting on October 31.
  • 2 dress rehearsals at Central Lutheran Church: November 28 and 30.
  • 3 Services: December 1 at 7:00 p.m. and December 2 at 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Open to anyone in the Augsburg community (plus your friends and family).

For details contact Dr. Kristina Boerger at boerger@augsburg.edu

Join us for Homecoming

A photo of students waving their arms in the air outdoors. There is a banner that reads "Auggie Homecoming 2023" at the bottom of the photo.

We can’t wait to have students, alumni, family, and friends on campus for all of our Homecoming events between October 8-14, 2023!

Whether you have been coming back to Augsburg every year since you graduated, or it has been a while, we can’t wait to reminisce, celebrate, and gather together as Auggies. Our Homecoming weekend includes the Athletics Hall of Fame on Thursday, October 12, the Distinguished Alumni Award Celebration on Friday, October 13, the 50th Reunion Breakfast, Homecoming Chapel, Taste of Augsburg, tours of Augsburg’s campus, and the Homecoming Football Game on Saturday, October 14

There is nothing like returning to campus, and we hope that you will join us.

Join us for the events and tours listed above by RSVPing here: RSVP TODAY!

Celebrating the Life of Dr. Peter Hendrickson ’76

Peter Hendrickson in a suit smiles at the camera sitting between stone pillars text reads Celebrating the life of Peter Henndrickson Saturday October 22 at 2 pm

Longtime Director of Choral Activities and Professor Emeritus, Dr. Peter Hendrickson, died this past June at the age of 67. A celebration of his life will be held at Hoversten Chapel on the campus of Augsburg on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 2:00. All are welcome to attend!

An important part of the memorial service will be a special choir made up of Augsburg alumni and former Masterworks Chorale singers who had the privilege of singing under Dr. Hendrickson. A short rehearsal, led by Mark Sedio and Nancy Grundahl, will take place at 12:30, just prior to the memorial service in Hoversten Chapel.

Tina Brauer in the Augsburg Music Department can be contacted with questions as needed (brauer@augsburg.edu). Music to be sung will be emailed to you in advance.

Register to sing in the alumni choir- https://forms.gle/tDJemuQDwviJueDG6

If you would like to be part of the memorial service choir, please RSVP- https://forms.gle/RPTZMD9JDzKEBBYs5

Great Returns: We’re All In – All School Reunion

Great Returns We're All in All-School Reunion October 6-8 2022 event co-chairs Jeff Nodland '77 and Becky Bjella-Nodland '79 Co-Chairs

Come back to Augsburg University for an event that has been years in the making, the first ever Great Returns: We’re All In – All School Reunion weekend starting Thursday, October 6th through Saturday, October 8th. 

Reminisce, reconnect, and reunite with your fellow Auggies during this in-person celebration. Enjoy festive foods and delicious drinks from Airlie Winery (Mary Olson ’74), Finnegans (Jacquie Berglund ’87), and Zevia. Experience music by Maryann Sullivan ’82 and The Money Makers, presented by Rock What You Got (Buffie Blesi ’90) – and that’s just Friday evening! 

And don’t forget to consider hosting an “Auggie Alcove” as a way for your special Auggie group to get together in a more personal way during Friday night’s festivities. 

“Auggie Alcoves” are rooms reserved within the Hagfors Center. There, your alumni network and Auggie friends can connect, celebrate the past, and create memories for the future. 

Space at this in-person event is limited. Please RSVP by Monday, October 3rd. RSVP TODAY!

Using History to Better Understand Public Safety

An event sponsored by Augsburg Women Engaged (AWE)

Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Virtual Event
7:30 – 8:45 pm
Free of charge 

Register

Headshot of Dr. William Green and Dr. Michael Lansing against a maroon backdrop. The Augsburg Women Engaged logo appears at under their photos.

Join AWE for a free online presentation and discussion with Augsburg faculty Dr. William Green and Dr. Michael Lansing. Dr. Green will speak about his article, “An Ever-Present Impulse: The Legacy of Anti-Black Violence and the Paradox of Minnesota Exceptionalism” and Dr. Lansing will present his article “Policing Politics: Labor, Race and the Police Officers Federation in Minneapolis, 1945-1972”. Professors Green and Lansing are planning for generous time to field questions from attendees about their essays and related issues. Engaging the history of race and community-police relations in Minneapolis provides context and perspective to consider as citizens weigh options for moving forward.

 

Moderator

Babette ChatmanREV. Babette Chatman ’06 is an Augsburg University graduate and serves as one of our University Pastors. Prior to joining the campus ministry team full time in 2019, Pastor Babette served as a community collaborative partner with Campus Ministry and was the Associate Pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. She also co-chaired the Mission Table on the Minneapolis Area Synod Council.

 

Celebrating In-Person Commencement for the Classes of 2020 and 2021

On A collage of three photos. The upper left photos consist of graduates walking in their caps and gowns outside, one of them is waving. The upper right photo shows a man with his diploma holder and balloons. He is smiling with a woman to his right. The bottom photo shows a row of graduates standing in front of their seats, all of them are masked.June 8, 2021, Augsburg held an in-person commencement ceremony for the classes of 2020 and 2021. After a difficult year of virtual learning and social distancing, the community was able to come together and celebrate the achievements of our Auggie grads!

The event recognized 857 graduates from our undergrad, graduate, and doctoral programs. 4,000+ attendees watched as their loved ones crossed the stage and received their diplomas. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar also had a special message to share with the graduates. You can watch it on our Facebook page.

To all of the new alumni, congratulations and we hope you stay connected with us!

“A Breath for George” – Augsburg University and Augsburg Women Engaged (AWE) Host Virtual Screening

Thursday, February 25, 2021
7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Free of charge 

To register: Event has passed

Photo by Regina Marie Williams

Join AWE, a council of alumnae, and other valued Augsburg and community partners for a virtual viewing of “A Breath for George”, a Twin Cities film honoring the life and death of George Floyd. A panel discussion will immediately follow the film screening. 

This online event will bring together Augsburg alumni, students, faculty, staff and the larger Twin Cities community to reflect on and remember the life and death of George Floyd, as well as explore the larger issues of police brutality, systemic racism, and anti-Black racism which continue to impact the Augsburg community, Minnesota, the nation, and the world. The film uplifts the voices of Minnesotan artists, scholars, and community members who have been historically and negatively impacted by these injustices, through a collection of interviews, music, and poetry. The film also acts as a form of resistance against the systematic oppression of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color

This past summer, “A Breath for George” premiered outdoors throughout the Twin Cities at venues such as the History Theater, the Guthrie, and Penumbra Theatre. This revised version runs approximately 75 minutes and is composed of three short features. The film is available only for viewing during this event. It will not be recorded. 

Post viewing, there will be a 30-minute discussion with the following esteemed guests:

Austene Van, the filmmaker and Artistic Director of New Dawn Theatre

Joanne K. Reeck, M.A., Augsburg Vice President for Equity and Inclusion

Dr.  Terrance Kwame-Ross, Augsburg Associate Professor & Chair of Education  

Dr.  Michael Lansing, Augsburg Associate Professor & Chair of History

Please take care when watching this film as there are explicit narratives and imagery put forward by the artists and scholars in their truths. This could be triggering or traumatic for some viewers. Also, this film has not yet been rated, and does have some explicit language. The language and scenes may be too intense for children or minors. Parental Discretion is Advised.

Event co-hosted by: 

Augsburg Pan-Afrikan Center

Augsburg Theater Arts Department

Augsburg Master of Arts in Leadership

Augsburg Alumni Board

Equity Innovation Center of Excellence/YMCA of the North

Growth & Justice  

OneMN.org 

Watch the 41st Augsburg University Advent Vespers

For more than four decades, Augsburg University has ushered in the Advent and Christmas seasons with Advent Vespers, a magnificent experience of music and liturgy, focusing on the theme of preparation and culminating in the joyful celebration of the Incarnation.

This year has changed how we celebrate Advent Vespers, but in November the Augsburg community found a way to safely create a a video that premiered on December 4 as the first Virtual Augsburg University Advent Vespers. The service was watched by more than 8,600 people.

These services (virtual or in-person) continue to be completely funded by generous individual contributions and your donation today will directly support this majestic tradition!

Support Advent Vespers

Augsburg Athletics Facebook Live Discussion with Athletic Director Jeff Swenson ’79 and Head Football Coach Derrin Lamker ’97

Imagine getting your dream job as head football coach at your alma mater just months before the start of a global pandemic. What are your new priorities? How do you serve your students and the University?

On Thursday, November 5 at 11:00 a.m. Central Standard Time all Augsburg alumni, faculty, staff, donors, friends, and students are invited to join a Facebook Live discussion with Athletic Director Jeff Swenson ’79 and Head Football Coach Derrin Lamker ’97 as they share updates on Augsburg athletics in 2020 and what they envision for the future. Click here to join the Auggie Connections Facebook Group where this discussion will be shared.

Jeff Swenson has been a member of the Augsburg community for more than 30 years — as a student, athlete, coach and administrator. A national champion wrestler at Augsburg in his senior year of 1979 with a career record of 102-17. Thanks to Swenson’s leadership, Augsburg produced 98 NWCA Scholar All-Americans, the most of any college in any division in the nation. Augsburg has had at least two Scholar All-Americans every year since 1993. Augsburg has also had eight ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans in wrestling, as awarded by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Swenson, whose teams also won 20 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team titles, was named MIAC Coach of the Year 13 times and NWCA National Coach of the Year six times (1983, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2007). Swenson was inducted into the NCAA Division III Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 2005, the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association/David Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2000-01, Swenson was named Lutheran College National Coach of the Year (all sports) from Lutheran Brotherhood, and in 2002, he earned National College Coach of the Year honors (all divisions) from Wrestling USA Magazine.

Derrin Lamker, an Augsburg University Athletic Hall of Fame member who has become one of the top high school football coaches in Minnesota, is the 15th head coach in Augsburg football history. Lamker began his coaching career at his alma mater, where he spent four seasons (1999-2002) as an assistant coach, his final two seasons as offensive coordinator. He then moved to Robbinsdale Armstrong, his high school alma mater, where he was an assistant coach in football, boys’ basketball and baseball, and served as head coach for the girls’ basketball team in 2003-04.In 2005, Lamker was named head coach for the Osseo High School football team. In 11 seasons there, he led the Orioles to three conference championships, two section titles and the Minnesota Class 6A state title in 2015. He had a 74-39 record at Osseo, part of his 94-50 high school career coaching record. He earned Northwest Suburban Conference Coach of the Year honors three times, was named section coach of the year twice and was named Minnesota Class 6A State Coach of the Year in 2015. He also served on the coaching staff for the Minnesota High School All-Star Game twice, including as head coach in 2015. For the past three seasons, Lamker served as head coach at Edina High School, where he led the Hornets to the Minnesota Class 6A state tournament quarterfinals in 2017 — only the team’s third state tournament appearance in school history — and a 20-11 record. He served as offensive coordinator at Edina in the 2016 season before being named head coach in 2017. He earned section coach of the year honors in 2017.

 

Post-Election Facebook Live Discussion with Political Science Professor Andy Aoki

All members of the Augsburg community are invited to join a post-election Facebook Live discussion on Wednesday, November 4 at 4:30 p.m. Central Standard Time. Click here to join the Auggie Connections Facebook Group to hear Professor Aoki’s reflections on election 2020 and to participate by asking questions during the Q & A.

Professor Aoki joined the Augsburg faculty in 1988 where he now specializes in racial and ethnic politics and American political thought, and teaches courses in political theory and American politics. He started out in high school wanting to be a physicist, lawyer or musician, but his interest in public affairs led him to political science. He holds a B.A. University of Oregon, a M.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison. His publications include Asian American Politics (Polity Press, with Okiyoshi Takeda) and Newcomers, Outsiders, and Insiders: Immigrants and American Racial Politics in the Early Twenty-First Century (University of Michigan Press, with Ronald Schmidt, Sr., Yvette Alex-Assensoh, and Rodney E. Hero), as well as a number of other works on the politics of race and ethnicity, Asian American politics, and the politics of immigration.