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Lilly grant expands vocational, theological reflection

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$447,000, three-year award supports Youth Theological Institute

2014 Youth Theology Institute Seniors
The Youth Theology Institute each year celebrates the accomplishments of its senior class. Here, YTI celebrates the 2014 senior cohort.

(MINNEAPOLIS) — A grant of more than $445,000 was awarded by Lilly Endowment Inc., in a highly competitive grant process, to Augsburg College’s Youth Theology Institute. The award means the Youth Theology Institute can, among other things, develop a fellowship program for youth ministers, including from multicultural and ethnic-specific congregations, and expand participation in the program among youths, congregations, and synods.

“This grant supports Augsburg’s continued commitment to intentional diversity and to modeling what it means to be a Lutheran college of the 21st century, located in the heart of one of the nation’s most diverse zip codes,” said Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow.

“It equips young people with theological and vocational skills and helps them learn what it means to practice their faith, with its commitments to education, radical hospitality and serving your neighbor.” Continue reading “Lilly grant expands vocational, theological reflection” →

Advisory: River Semester students return to Minnesota on Dec. 13

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Class will be welcomed Sunday night at Union Depot by family, friends

(MINNEAPOLIS) – After a semester living, studying and traveling from St. Paul to New Orleans on the Mississippi River, students in the nation’s first-ever River Semester – created by Professor Joe Underhill – return to Minnesota on Sunday, Dec. 13.

The students, who departed St. Paul on Sept. 1 in 24-foot voyageur canoes for their journey to the Gulf of Mexico, are scheduled to arrive at 10 p.m. at St. Paul Union Depot. The group will be greeted by family, friends, and members of the Augsburg College community.

Visit Amtrak’s website for updated information on the track on which the train will arrive. Click the tab on the box that says “train status” and then look for the link in the bottom of the box that says “check status by city.” Enter “CHI” as the origination point and “MSP” as the destination.

River Semester Gallery Opening

The River Semester will be celebrated at a gallery opening from 5-7 p.m., December 16, and that will feature art, design, and typography that gives visitors a glimpse into the daily life of the River Semester students. The River Semester was incorporated into multiple classrooms led by Professor Christopher Houltberg, and as a way to help students understand how local, national, and global issues to highlight how design can act as a catalyst for change.

Christensen Center Student Art Gallery
Augsburg College, Christensen Center
22nd Avenue South at 7 1/2 Street, Minneapolis

Twin Cities businesses, nonprofits sought as partners for Augsburg internship program

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$447k grant eases financial cost for organizations to offer internships

(MINNEAPOLIS) — Twin Cities businesses and nonprofits are invited to partner with Augsburg College as part of the institution’s three-year, Career Ready Internship Grant made possible by a grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation. The partnership seeks to create more than 220 new, paid student internships during the 2015-18 academic years.

The College’s Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful Work will collaborate with organizations to offer the internships beginning in January 2016. The more-than $447,000 in grant funding will be used for student internship wages, transportation and administrative support.

“We’re excited to build new partnerships with Minnesota businesses and nonprofits to provide the kind of internships organizations want and that students need,” said Keith Munson, director of the Strommen Center. “We know that Auggies are ready to apply and practice what they are learning in the classroom. These are juniors and seniors who know how to work across disciplines and with persons of varied backgrounds and faiths. And, with a student body that is more than 35 percent students of color, we can help businesses continue the important work of diversifying their workforce.”

Munson credits the success of the first grant to the formation of a cross-campus implementation team. The Strommen Center worked with staff and faculty from Business Administration, STEM Programs, Sabo Center for Citizenship and Democracy, Masters in Business Administration, Graduate Admissions, Alumni Relations, Corporate and Foundation Relations, and the Office of Institutional Advancement to identify prospective employers.

Augsburg was one of 33 colleges and universities in Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin that garnered a combined $12 million in 2015-18 Career Ready Internship Grants from Great Lakes to make internships more equitable for students with financial need. The College previously received a $150,000 grant that created nearly 60 paid internships for students with financial need in 2014-15.

To learn how a business or nonprofit can partner with Augsburg, please visit the Strommen Center website.

About Augsburg College

Augsburg College offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and nine graduate degrees to nearly 3,600 students of diverse backgrounds at its campuses located in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and in Rochester. Augsburg College educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. The Augsburg experience is supported by an engaged community committed to intentional diversity in its life and work. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings.

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Phillip C. Adamo named 2015 Minnesota Professor of the Year

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Minneapolis Mayor declares November 19 “Dr. Phillip C. Adamo Day”

(WASHINGTON, D.C.)— 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.”

Continue reading “Phillip C. Adamo named 2015 Minnesota Professor of the Year” →

ADVISORY: 250 children with disabilities play
November 18 at Augsburg Sports Extravaganza

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15th annual event welcomes students from more than 25 Minnesota schools

Sports Extravaganza(MINNEAPOLIS)— Augsburg College physical education and exercise science students will use knowledge gained in the classroom to deliver smiles to more than 250 grade-school and middle-school children who will be at the 15th Annual Sports Extravaganza, a one-day event through which children with physical, cognitive and learning disabilities play on campus.

The success of Sports Extravaganza, slated for November 18, hinges upon the participation of Augsburg students. Together, students and faculty members create activity stations in the Augsburg Athletics dome and then assist children with each activity.

“Augsburg students take what they’ve learned in the classroom and then go out and do this event,” said Carol Enke, Sports Extravaganza director and Augsburg College HPE instructor. “The young students come to campus, and they help [Augsburg] students grow.”

Continue reading “ADVISORY: 250 children with disabilities play
November 18 at Augsburg Sports Extravaganza” →

Augsburg College project named recipient of Alice Smith Prize

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(SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA) — Augsburg College History Department faculty members Kirsten Delegard and Michael Lansing were presented the Alice Smith Prize for best public history project completed in the previous calendar year by the Midwestern History Association.

The Historyapolis Project (historyapolis.com and facebook.com/TheHistoryapolisProject) was created when Delegard, a current scholar-in-residence at Augsburg College, realized that her hometown of Minneapolis was blind to its own tumultuous history, more comfortable planning for the future than confronting the past. Augsburg students are deeply involved with the project, which aims to make the city’s history accessible and helps catalyze community dialogue around challenging aspects of local history.

Delegard holds a doctorate in history from Duke University and is the author of “Battling Miss Bolsheviki: The Origins of Female Conservatism in the United States” (Penn, 2012).  Delegard was also the co-editor, with Nancy A. Hewitt, for the two-volume textbook “Women, Families and Communities: Readings in American History“ (Longman Publishing, 2008). As part of the Historyapolis Project, Delegard is at work on a new history of Minneapolis, which is tentatively titled “City of Light and Darkness: The Making of a Progressive Metropolis in Minneapolis.”

Continue reading “Augsburg College project named recipient of Alice Smith Prize” →

River Semester media attention grows as class travels down-river

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Screen Shot 2015-09-02 at 2.35.52 PM[Updated November 13] — The Augsburg College River Semester, created and led by Joe Underhill, associate professor of political science, departed from St. Paul’s Harriet Island on September 1. As part of the kickoff, the River Semester class was joined by a group of nearly 100 students, parents, high school students and members of the Augsburg College community who paddled in a flotilla of 24-foot voyageur canoes from St. Paul to South St. Paul. Students participating in the semester-long program will earn as many as 16 credits in the arts, humanities, and sciences as they travel nearly 2,000 miles of the 2,350-mile Mississippi River.

The River Semester kickoff garnered a range of attention. Gov. Mark Dayton proclaimed September 1 “Augsburg College River Semester Day” and many media outlets covered the launch of the class.

Since the students and faculty departed on their voyage, print and broadcast media have been sharing the story of this hands-on, interdisciplinary program. In fact, multiple stories have been picked up by the Associated Press and shared through the AP’s member media throughout the nation.

A snapshot of the ongoing media coverage is below. As additional coverage occurs, it will be added to this post.

November 9

October 16

  • The Mississippi River is their classroom, The Hawk Eye, Burlington (Iowa)

October 15

  • College student trekking down the Mississippi, White Bear (Minnesota) Press

October 8

September 29

Continue reading “River Semester media attention grows as class travels down-river” →

LeVar Burton speaks at Augsburg College on Feb. 13

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Auggies, public invited to presentation on education, innovation, and imagination

LeVar Burton(MINNEAPOLIS) –Actor, director, writer, producer and educator LeVar Burton, best known for his roles in Roots, Star Trek and Reading Rainbow, will share with the Augsburg community the importance of turning STEM into STE(A)M – integrating science, technology, engineering and math with the arts and design.

Burton will present on Feb. 13 for Scholarship Weekend, “You Can be Anything: The Importance of Education, Innovation, and Imagination.”

The Scholarship Weekend event is built upon the successful model used during 2015, in which Bill Nye “The Science Guy” spoke to a packed house of more than 2,000 prospective students, their families, members of the Augsburg community, and the public.

During the 2015 Scholarship Weekend, more than 175 students had the opportunity to be challenged by deep questions of planetary science, climate change, evolution, environmental awareness, and more.

TICKET INFORMATION

All tickets are general admission with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. A presale will be held for Augsburg College students, faculty, and staff.

Tickets for Augsburg College Students:

  • Presale Begins: 10 a.m., Monday, November 16, 2015
  • Presale Ends: 11:59 p.m., Monday, November 30, 2015
  • Price: $12.00/ticket. (An Augsburg College Augnet login will be required to gain access to the presale.)

Tickets for Augsburg College Faculty/Staff:

  • Presale Begins: 10 a.m., Monday, November 16, 2015
  • Presale Ends: 11:59 p.m., Monday, November 30, 2015
  • Price: $28.00/ticket (An Augsburg College Augnet login will be required to gain access to the presale.)

Continue reading “LeVar Burton speaks at Augsburg College on Feb. 13” →

Photo Opportunity: River Semester students land Saturday at Gateway Arch in St. Louis

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College students have paddled nearly 600 miles from St. Paul to St. Louis en route to New Orleans

WHAT

Gateway ArchAfter nine weeks living, studying and traveling on the Mississippi River in a flotilla of 24-foot voyageur canoes and paddling nearly 600 miles, a group of Augsburg College students is slated to land on at the Gateway Arch at 1 p.m., Saturday. The students, who departed St. Paul on Sept. 1 as part of their semester-long journey to the Gulf of Mexico, will land in St. Louis just as the city is discussing the grade of D+ given on the Mississippi River Basin “report card” by a consortium of environmental organizations and as the city celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Gateway Arch.

WHEN

1 p.m., Saturday

WHERE

Gateway Arch, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, 100 Washington Ave., St. Louis 63102

ABOUT THE RIVER SEMESTER

The students participating in this semester-long learning program will earn as many as 16 credits in biology, environmental studies, health and physical education, and political science.  During the trip, students will:

  • Conduct a field research project on a topic such as water pollution, the Clean Water Act, sustainable agriculture in the watershed, political organizing around environmental issues, race relations and social justice, or urban riverfront revitalization.
  • Explore the history, literature, food, music and culture of the Mississippi River.
  • Gain skills tailored to meet the needs of partner organizations, including businesses,  graduate schools, nonprofits and government agencies.
  • Attend town hall meetings and meet with environmental organizations along the river.
  • Hear from guest lecturers about invasive carp, habitat restoration, authors Mark Twain and William Faulkner, ancient river civilizations, American Indian communities and their fight for justice, and the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

An overview of the trip can be found on the River Semester website at augsburg.edu/river

ABOUT AUGSBURG COLLEGE

Augsburg College, a private liberal arts college in Minneapolis, offered the River Semester in partnership with Wilderness Inquiry, a nonprofit and inclusive travel provider that specializes in experiential programming and outdoor travel for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Augsburg College offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and nine graduate degrees to nearly 3,600 students of diverse backgrounds at its campuses located in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and in Rochester. Augsburg College educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. The Augsburg experience is supported by an engaged community committed to intentional diversity in its life and work. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings.

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River Semester students to land Oct. 31 at St. Louis Gateway Arch

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Augsburg College students have paddled nearly 600 miles since Sept. 1

River semester canoes with gear and an Augsburg flag(MINNEAPOLIS) – After nine weeks living, studying and traveling on the Mississippi River in 24-foot voyageur canoes and paddling nearly 600 miles, a group of Augsburg College students is slated to land on Saturday at the St. Louis Gateway Arch.

The students, who departed St. Paul on Sept. 1 as part of their semester-long journey to the Gulf of Mexico, will land in St. Louis just as that city is discussing the grade of D+ given on the Mississippi River Basin “report card” by a consortium of environmental organizations and as the city celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Gateway Arch.

“Students on this trip are seeing and learning first-hand some of the reasons communities along the river are grappling with a watershed grade of D+. The river is used for many purposes and this puts a strain on the ecosystem, the infrastructure, and recreation,” said Joe Underhill, associate professor of political science and creator of this high-impact learning program.

“We have students who, for their individual class projects throughout the trip, are taking water quality samples, looking at chemical concentrations in the river, water treatment and light pollution. Paddling and camping along the river, we have observed first-hand problems with water quality, runoff from farms and factories, and current state of the locks and bridges along the way. This is part of a complex set of political considerations around how to balance all these competing interests on the nation’s iconic river.”

Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow will meet with the class in St. Louis on Sunday, Nov. 1 and Monday, Nov. 2. Continue reading “River Semester students to land Oct. 31 at St. Louis Gateway Arch” →