Although free pizza remains the industry standard for enticing students, this year’s first-year students hopped on board a generous transit offer.
Auggies enrolled in Augsburg Seminar (or AugSem) received a Metro Transit Go To card loaded with $20 at student orientation. Those who loaded $10 on their card by October 1 gained an additional $45 on their card.
Ann Garvey, vice president of student affairs, said nearly 200 students (about 40 percent) took advantage of the offer, which was designed to introduce students to the ease of the Twin Cities’ transit system of buses, light rail, and commuter rail. The pilot project emerged from a collaboration between Metro Transit and the Central Corridor Anchor Partnership—a group of colleges, universities, hospitals, and health care organizations invested in the health and vitality of area neighborhoods.
“Augsburg is committed to its urban location and our Green by 2019 statement,” said Garvey, celebrating Augsburg’s involvement with Central Corridor. “We benefit from being at the crux of the two light rail lines, and we encounter the reality of a small campus footprint. A car-related solution to transportation cannot be our first step.”
Through curriculum, organizations, and overall mission, Augsburg is committed to engaging its neighbors through partnerships and service. Garvey said incorporating the transit offer into the AugSem excursion on City Service Day made sense.
“As we were discussing how best to introduce this idea to new first-year students, we quickly realized that all first-years have the Augsburg Seminar and all Augsburg Seminars have the embedded curricular commitment of engaging Minneapolis,” Garvey said. “It was a perfect fit to show how we integrate what we do with the city, and faculty were stunned with how wonderful it was, as they would sometimes encounter financial barriers in getting their classes out to the city.”
Garvey said another element of success was student involvement. Communications major Sulin Phat and history major Anisa Sharif helped shape a communications campaign to market the Go To card offer by sharing personal experiences and emphasizing the benefits of sustainability and connecting with the community.
“I loved this part,” Garvey said. “Students listen to other students and students bring the reality of their experience in coordinating the outreach that makes these efforts so much more effective. Plus, it gave two current students jobs and hands on experience for their growth and development.”
Results from student surveys, Garvey said, will inform Metro Transit’s offers to students in 2016. The overwhelming success of the project, she added, has certainly renewed interest in the Metro among the rest of the Augsburg community.
Dimension 3, Goal 7, Strategy 7: Engage anchor partnerships in developing, improving, and sharing resources that serve Augsburg, our neighborhood, and our wider community.
—by Kate Elliott