In response to a rise in harassment and hateful rhetoric against Muslims in our national discourse, Augsburg is committed to fighting discrimination with a mission of inclusivity, hope, and understanding.

In December, the faculty senate passed a resolution in support of Muslim students, colleagues, and neighbors, stating that inflammatory claims and fear mongering in the public discourse undermines the nation’s fight against terrorism and poisons our communities with distrust and fear.

The resolution concludes: “Therefore, the Augsburg College faculty stands resolved that: statements of prejudice and hate against the Faith of Islam should be condemned and vocally opposed, and moreover, we express our deep support, love and friendship for the Muslim members of our campus, community, and world.”

In response to the resolution, President Paul Pribbenow sent an email to the campus community commending the faculty and acknowledging the work of students, faculty, and staff to support justice, dignity, and hospitality.

The president also signed on to support the “UnMinnesotan” campaign, led by U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress. The effort urges citizens, who “know better than to be silent or still in the face of bigotry,” to come together as a diverse and vibrant community and “lead people to a place of tolerance and understanding.” Legislators and business leaders, including the CEOs of General Mills, Cargill, and Best Buy, also publicly support the campaign.

Hands-on learning ignites appreciation of cultural differences

True to its mission, Augsburg is committed in both word and deed. Throughout campus, faculty and staff have created spaces for open—sometimes difficult—discourse and have facilitated partnerships to advance interfaith collaborations.

Assistant professor Marc Isaacson engaged his Management Information Systems (MIS) course in an experiential learning opportunity to assist the Sisterhood Boutique, a second-hand clothing store and youth social entrepreneurship program developed by young women, a majority of East African descent, living in our Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.

“When we created the E-Commerce course several years back, one of our goals was to implement a hands-on project with a local community partner,” said Isaacson, who has taught at Augsburg for 17 years. “Then I heard about the work of the Sisterhood Boutique from one of my advisees, who helped in the founding of the store, and I knew there was an opportunity to blend the new knowledge and skills of these MIS students with the real-world context of life and business in our neighborhood.”

Isaacson’s students guided the boutique through website enhancements as well as social media and video strategies to expand the store’s reach and fundraising capacity. But, more importantly, the students taught and empowered the women how to continue to support those platforms to grow the business.

“For the students, this was an opportunity to take the knowledge they learned from the textbook and the course and put it into action,” he said. “Having a community partner from the neighborhood made the experience of consulting for a client that much more real. They not only had to deliver a final project but also interacted with the staff of the Sisterhood Boutique through analysis and project development.”

Beyond professional, real-world experience, Isaacson said his students gained an appreciation of cultural differences. Augsburg’s support of intercultural, interfaith community partnerships, he added, nurtures global citizens driven to consider and explore different ideas and perspectives, enriching their lives and adding value to our world in the process.

Dimension 2, Goal 4, Strategy 4: Augsburg is a vibrant and diverse learning community, intentionally reflective of a complex, interconnected world.

—By Kate H. Elliott

Each year, the National Association of Colleges and Employers publishes a list of top qualities employers seek in new college hires. Sandwiched between “team player” and “communication skills” is a classic—“leadership.” But the seemingly straightforward, familiar concept is actually quite elusive.

To help incoming students grasp the admired—but complex—quality, Campus Activities and Orientation created the Emerging Leaders Program in 2007. During orientation each fall, co-instructors Michael Grewe and Joanne Reeck invite first-year and transfer students to apply for the 11-week program that empowers students to develop and apply their leadership skills to connect with and engage in the Augsburg and greater communities.

“The program is incredibly important to the campus community, as we are providing incoming students an opportunity to grow and nurture their leadership skills—encouraging them to understand what drives them,” said Grewe, who had led the effort with Reeck since 2012. “The program, which serves about 50 students each year, has also realized pipelines for leadership opportunities both on and off campus.”

Grewe said weekly gatherings create space to discuss ethics, conflict, personal identity, power and privilege. The group settings allow new faces to meet others interested in sharpening their leadership skills.

“It’s always an inspiring blend of both students with leadership experience and those who are just beginning to see themselves as leaders,” said Grewe, assistant director of Campus Activities and Orientation “Many of our students become impactful campus leaders as resident advisers, orientation or AugSem leaders, and officers of campus organizations.”

Participants also meet with peer leaders four times that first semester at Augsburg. These one-on-one sessions build upon and personalize concepts presented during the weekly class.

“Discussions with peer leaders are key to participants’ personal growth, as they challenge students to reflect on class concepts in their own lives,” Grewe said. “Peers also help connect students with opportunities that align with their passions and interests.”

Tools such as StrengthsFinder and the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator help provide students with insight and focus on strengths rather than weaknesses.

More information, including applications for fall 2016 (available in the summer) can be found at Campus Activities and Orientation.

Dimension 1, Goal 3, Strategy 3: Integrate and strengthen student success efforts.

—By Kate H. Elliott

Get ready for some numbers: Since the start of the fall semester, Augsburg faculty and staff have won nearly $3 million in new grant awards, submitted more than 14 new grants, and continue work on 35 projects worth a total of $9.6 million.

This pace of external funding for the college is unprecedented, and the outcomes of this important work elevate Augsburg’s reach and reputation. Championing this effort is Erica Swift, director of Sponsored Programs, who recently received a grant to foster the development and submission of innovative grant proposals to, for instance, support student scholarships or create diverse, pioneering learning and research. The grant—Augsburg2019 Innovation Fund—was supported by the president’s office.

Get ready for some more numbers: To date, Swift’s Innovation Grant has awarded eight writing stipends to faculty investigators in five disciplines—biology, history, mathematics, physics, and STEM programs. The proposals, requesting a total of $4.3 million, have been submitted to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Minnesota Historical Society, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The best part—if funded, these projects would support 12,460 hours of paid research experience and $678,400 in scholarships for undergraduate students.

“The Innovation Grant is important because it is helping us broaden participation throughout the College as well as recognize and support faculty driven to enrich the learning environment for our students and contribute to their respective field,” said Swift, who has worked at Augsburg for three years. “Grants are intimidating. It takes about 116 hours to write a grant, and collaborating investigators spend an additional 55 hours per proposal. You send it off and likely get rejected your first and second time [the average grant proposal success rate is less than 20 percent]. You make revisions, then resubmit, likely to get another rejection. But this process builds experience until you are successful. And when that success comes, it’s amazing.”

Sponsored Program’s efforts to inspire faculty grant submissions is thriving within a verdant culture of student research, Swift said. Augsburg is investing in infrastructure to stimulate innovation and collaboration. Consider the Office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity (URGO), which connects students with new and existing research and scholarship on campus and beyond, including positions at Harvard and the Mayo Clinic. And, of course, there’s the $50 million Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion, which will further foster undergraduate research efforts and interdisciplinary experiential learning when it opens in 2018.

“The college is laying groundwork at the same time as established faculty have begun to pass the baton, of sorts, to collaborate with or advise new faculty through the grant process,” Swift said. “Instead of faculty members thinking they can’t achieve the success of those before them, they feel empowered to jump into the process.”

And when they do, Swift is there, providing one-on-one support from proposal development and submission to award set up and management. She walks investigators through closeout and assists in preparation for the next grant. Each grant, no matter the amount, receives the same level of attention.

“You might think our office pays more attention to the million-dollar grants, but $5,000 grants often take the same amount of work, and the efforts of those faculty are just as important,” Swift said. “Besides, those $5,000 grants often beget larger awards. Each submission is a success because it is one step closer to an award; and each award, no matter how small, is a success because it encourages faculty and advances Augsburg’s reputation for discovery and excellence.”

A small but mighty community

The perseverance and success of Augsburg faculty is particularly notable given competition with major research universities for a shrinking pool of federal funding. Faculty continue to develop partnerships and create solutions to submit relevant and compelling proposals.

“Our faculty have proven, time and time again, that you can be small but mighty,” Swift said. “Augsburg has secured some major grant awards, doing—sometimes—what no one else in the world is doing. And yet, those faculty would never boast about their successes. That’s why I love my job—I get to share their good, impactful work.”

Read about some of Augsburg’s latest grant awards and learn more about the process on the Sponsored Programs website.

Dimension 3, Goal 9, Strategy 9: Augsburg is a sustainable and vital force for educating future generations.

—by Kate Elliott

Augsburg’s Hoversten Chapel was filled to capacity as Student Body President Duina Hernandez ’16 welcomed a mosaic of faces—students and community members—to the 29th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation. What followed was a harmonious fusion of rhythmic movements and layered voices that ascended to keynote speaker Chuck D of rap group Public Enemy. The author and political activist presented “Race, Rap, and Reality: Supporting Our Youth in the Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as They Face the Unique Challenges of Today.”

Mohamed Sallam, director of the Pan-Afrikan Center, provided an opportunity for students to imagine the event in hopes of advancing a contemporary understanding of King’s legacy of equality, service, and peace. Conversations that have continued since the convocation, Sallam said, reflect Augsburg’s celebration of diversity and commitment to speaking out against injustice.

“Our passionate students put on a wonderful event that has continued to spark discussions on campus about race and equality,” said Sallam, who has guided the center for 10 years. “They are continuing MLK’s work by educating themselves and doing what they can to influence the social and political climate in which we live. Chuck D inspired us all to be the change in our own neighborhoods, and we’ve heard and seen students and faculty working to do just that.”

Auggies lead the charge toward peace

The program occurred during a “difficult time in our nation,” Sallam said. In December, the United States marked 150 years since ratification of the U.S. Constitution’s 13th amendment, declaring slavery illegal. Yet national headlines about ingrained racism, Sallam said, signal the need for renewed discussion and engagement about our “unfinished work toward equality.”

“We’re facing major challenges and complexities in our day, particularly when it comes to policing in communities of color,” he added. “And because of Augsburg’s inclusive culture, I think it’s easy to feel like it can’t happen here. But the Jamar Clark shooting last year in Minneapolis showed us that we need to be a part of the broad social movement toward progress.”

The event wasn’t focused solely on the black or African-American experience, Sallam stressed. Students of many nations and races collaborated to ensure issues of injustice facing other countries and all people remain a part of the discourse.

“Our students are passionate about shining a light on those injustices throughout the world, and they are leading the charge toward peace,” he said.

During the program, students expressed their anger, pain, and hope through art—spoken word, dance, instrumental music. Sallam said his role is not to temper students’ enthusiasm, but to encourage them to direct their passion into education and thoughtful, appropriate discussion and action.

“Students can be very ambitious about what ought to happen, so I help them identify creative ways to engage and galvanize the community to be a more just place to live,” Sallam said. “I remind them that they are college students first, and that achieving in their field can advance the cause by putting them in a position to develop a network of educated, engaged people to create positive change in our world.”

The MLK Convocation is part of the Augsburg Convocation Series, an annual lineup of speakers who encourage the campus community to consider the power of vision in a world of tension. 

Dimension 2, Goal 6, Strategy 6: Publicly advance core commitments.

—by Kate Elliott

They are future doctors, engineers, psychologists, and educators. They work—often two jobs—to pay for school. They participate in clubs and make lasting friendships, just like their peers.

The difference?

They are among the nation’s 6,500 undocumented students—children born abroad who are not U.S. citizens or legal residents. In their lives, most every interaction, application, and career aspiration often involves some level of fear and uncertainty.

For these students—eager for higher education—Augsburg, with its commitment to intentional diversity, has become a refuge. Since 2007, the college has worked with and for undocumented students, inviting them to apply and supporting them throughout their time on campus and beyond. Dulce Monterrubio, director of Latin@ Student Services, said the campus continues to bolster its financial assistance and support of the undocumented population, currently more than 50 students.

“These are some of the most hard-working students I’ve ever met, and they are navigating college without any access to federal assistance and often with significant stress about their future and their family,” said Monterrubio, who has served as director since 2014. “It’s been inspiring to see this campus come together … helping [these students] achieve their dreams and contribute to society.”

Augsburg has experienced an increase in its undocumented population since 2012, when the federal government announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides temporary relief from deportation for eligible undocumented young adults, as well as renewable two-year work permits. In November 2015, President Barack Obama announced an expansion of the DACA program to cover older undocumented people who did not meet the 2012 age restriction and cut-off date.

Increasing aid and support

Monterrubio said admission to Augsburg is based solely on academic achievement and potential, so undocumented students do not receive any special treatment. And although these students are not eligible for federal financial aid, they are eligible for in-state tuition rates through the MN Dream Act, passed in 2013. Augsburg also provides financial assistance to incoming first-year and transfer undocumented students pursuing a bachelor’s degree.

“We’ve had students who didn’t know they were undocumented until they started applying for college because their parents were scared or wanted to protect them,” said Monterrubio, who has been at Augsburg since coming to campus from Mexico as an international student in 2000. “Imagine adding that stress on top of an already stressful time of applying for and transitioning to college. But many of them are surprisingly resilient and starting to feel more comfortable to advocate for themselves and educate our campus and community.”

Educating allies on campus

In spring 2016, students will partner with Latin@ Student Services to offer an ally training program to continue to build a network of understanding and support among faculty, staff, and students. Monterrubio said many faculty members, in particular, have expressed interest in learning more about the issue and services available to undocumented students.

The campus has also pledged to participate on April 7, 2016, in National Institutions Coming Out Day, which celebrates undocu-friendly campuses. This community of universities shares best practices to help reduce barriers for these students.

“Augsburg has been on the forefront of this movement to recognize and celebrate the positive impact these students, given the chance, have on our society,” Monterrubio said. “We look forward to continuing to help undocumented students get the most out of their college experience.”

Dimension 2, Goal 4, Strategy 4: Increase our effectiveness in diversity and inclusion across all programs.

—By Kate Elliott

Revised learning outcomes ensure performance matches expectations

We live in an age of accountability, which can at times feel uncomfortable and constraining. But assistant professor Kristen Chamberlain embraces assessment. Augsburg is a community of reflective individuals striving for meaningful work, Chamberlain says, and evaluation is crucial to articulating our values and determining whether performance matches expectations.

As director of assessment, Chamberlain is leading a team of 12 faculty and staff charged with strengthening the college’s methods for gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to ensure Augsburg is living out its mission to cultivate informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.

“Outcomes provide ways for us to concretely assess if Augsburg’s educational experience is fulfilling the mission,” says Chamberlain, assistant professor of communication studies. “Each student learning outcome is connected to one of the educational goals listed in our mission statement.”

More emphasis on evaluations, timelines

The Assessment Committee’s work builds upon Augsburg’s past work in the area. This most recent evolution began in September 2013, after a team of faculty participated in a Higher Learning Commission Assessment Workshop to refine the existing system to place more weight on faculty evaluations of students and to specify timelines for review, recommendations, and change implementation.

During the 2013-14 academic year, the campus collected faculty evaluations of students’ critical thinking and writing skills. Faculty also engaged in conversations that resulted in the development of the Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes, which Augsburg faculty approved in December 2014.

The following year, the campus collected faculty evaluations of students’ oral communication and quantitative reasoning skills. On a three-year assessment cycle, the 2015-16 academic year will focus on data analysis followed by recommendations for change. Any improvements will be discussed and set into motion the following year.

Clear, actionable directives

Assessment committee member Amy Gort, dean of arts and sciences, says the revised co-curricular learning outcomes—with clear, actionable directives—have been well received throughout campus. The outcomes are divided into seven categories:

• Cognitive complexity
• Knowledge, acquisition, integration and application
• Humanism
• Civic engagement
• Interpersonal and intrapersonal competence
• Practical competence
• Persistence and academic achievement

“We are always looking for ways to improve, even within the assessment process,” Gort says. “One example is that in the first two years we asked faculty to score the work of students in their own courses. Starting this year, we are asking faculty to submit student work for scoring by a team of faculty who will be specially trained.  We think this will encourage faculty engagement in this work and make the scores more reliable.”

Responding to data, strengthening the future

Throughout each stage of the process, the assessment committee works to inform the campus community about their work—from detailed reports to recommendations. This year, faculty and staff are collaborating to respond to themes that emerged from the critical thinking and writing data collected in 2013-14. Chamberlain shares two outcomes from these interdepartmental collaborations:

• To strengthen writing across the curriculum, the Center for Teaching and Learning is working with Jacqui deVries, director of general education, to create professional development workshops for faculty.
• deVries is also working with department chairs to develop signature assignments or projects to better assess critical thinking and writing skills across the board.

“The Assessment Committee is continually engaged in discussions about how to improve our assessment process,” Chamberlain says. “We are excited about bringing concrete, relevant data back to the faculty community. In many ways, this data validates the excellent work of our faculty and students. The assessment work will also help us further strengthen our curriculum and ensure that every Augsburg student receives a Mission-driven education.”

Dimension 1, Goal 3, Strategy 3: Strengthen our assessment practices across all programs.

—by Kate Elliott

Augsburg College’s Phillip C. Adamo, associate professor of history and director of the College Honors Program, was named the 2015 Minnesota Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Adamo, who was selected from more than 300 top professors in the United States, was recognized November 19 in a proclamation by Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges who declared it “Dr. Phillip C. Adamo Day in the City of Minneapolis.”

“Phil expands the imaginative possibilities for students through the design of innovative and powerful learning experiences that foster critical thinking, advanced cognitive abilities, and habits of deep reflection,” said Karen Kaivola, Augsburg College provost and chief academic officer.

“He has answered his call to inspire, mentor, and educate students, providing serious challenges for the most advanced learners while guiding all students with compassion. Phil exemplifies and embodies Augsburg College’s mission to be a new kind of student-centered urban university, small to our students and big for the world.”

A national and statewide recipient of numerous awards and honors — in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and history — Adamo joined Augsburg’s History Department in 2001. Since that time, he has been awarded Augsburg’s Award for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and Learning, the Distinguished Contributions to Scholarship award, and the CARA Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Medieval Academy of America. While in graduate school at The Ohio State University, Adamo received the Graduate Associate Teaching Award, the Provost’s Teaching Fellowship, and the Clio Award for Outstanding Teaching in History.

Adamo is the second Augsburg College faculty member to be honored by Carnegie/CASE. In 2004, Professor Emeritus Garry Hesser earned the prestigious award.

CASE and the Carnegie Foundation have been partners in offering the U.S. Professors of the Year awards program since 1981. This year, a state Professor of the Year was recognized in 35 states. Adamo was among those, and was selected from faculty members nominated by colleges and universities throughout the country.

This post originally appeared on Augsburg’s News and Media Services Department site.

Dimension 1, Goal 2, Strategy 2: Because an Augsburg education is defined by excellence, the College recruits, retains, supports, and celebrates an accomplished faculty fully committed to the academic and personal success of students.

Augsburg is an intentionally diverse and inclusive campus community, located in the most diverse ZIP code between Chicago and Los Angeles. Nurturing that vibrant learning environment—reflective of our complex and interconnected world—takes passion, vigilance, and innovation, three qualities that define Joanne Reeck. Appointed chief diversity officer in January, the St. Paul native is digging into the issues and developing workshops and programs to strengthen intercultural understanding.

“Our most important job as an institution is to work toward a learning environment where all of our students are able to bring forward their full selves,” said Reeck, who has served as Augsburg’s director of campus activities and orientation since 2008. “As such, faculty and staff need to not only work effectively across the cultural commonalities they share with students, but also across the cultural differences they do not share. When faculty and staff are able to effectively do this, the environment will naturally become one that allows all students to show up as their authentic selves and to more fully engage as learners.”

Increasing the intercultural competency of faculty and staff has been among the top three concerns of students in the 2004, 2007, and 2014 Student Inclusion Assessments, Reeck said. As a result, she created and implemented Augsburg’s first Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program, which launched the first day of fall semester. Fifty-eight faculty and staff members have signed up for the Certificate Program to date, with an average of 22 attendees at each of the 12 workshops that have taken place to date.

Faculty and staff may sign up for any number of diversity and inclusion workshops offered through Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, but each person must complete the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Process and six workshops to complete the certificate program. Of the required workshops, three are new: Creating Inclusive Spaces, All About Bias, and From Microinequities to Inclusion. Reeck redesigned the layout for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Process and the Intercultural Conflict Styles (ICS) Inventory Workshop. Michael Grewe ’12 MSW, director of LGBTQIA student services, designed Ally Training I and Kathy McGillivray, director of CLASS Disability Services, developed Disability as Diversity: Building Bridges to Full Inclusion.

“Once people attend one workshop, they seem to be hooked,” Reeck said. “It’s encouraging to see how many Augsburg faculty and staff members are pursuing these opportunities to grow their understanding of the many different communities around them. Most importantly however, is what we all do to help foster an understanding, supportive community of lifelong learners.”

Dimension 2, Goal 4, Strategy 4: Shape and strengthen our learning community.

—by Kate Elliott