Augsburg University is pleased to announce that Paula O’Loughlin will become the university’s new provost and senior vice president of academic and student affairs effective July 1, 2022.

As provost, O’Loughlin will assume a critical leadership position as the university’s second-ranking officer after President Paul C. Pribbenow. She will serve as a member of the president’s leadership team and oversee the institution’s largest division, academic and student affairs, which aligns the academic program and other elements of the student experience under a unified approach to student learning and development.

“The Augsburg community is deeply impressed by Dr. O’Loughlin’s career-long focus on preserving and widening access to excellent higher education; her experience with staff and faculty development; and her commitment to transparency, shared governance, and the healthy communal life of higher education institutions,” Pribbenow said. “She was the top choice of each stakeholder group she met with during her candidacy.”

“Members of the provost search committee are excited to welcome Dr. O’Loughlin to Augsburg University,” said Tim Pippert, chair of the committee and Joel Torstenson endowed professor of sociology. “We were drawn to her straightforward communication style and her sincere desire to be part of our vibrant campus community. Her commitment to our mission made her an excellent choice as our next provost.”

O’Loughlin will have wide-ranging responsibilities, including working with faculty, staff, administration, and the board of regents to implement the Augsburg150 strategic plan; providing oversight of planning, development, and administration of the academic program for graduate, undergraduate, and international programs; overseeing campus life, residence life, student support services, and advising; accreditation; academic and student affairs budgeting; and leadership of—and advocacy for—the faculty.

“When we ensure access to higher education, we support social mobility in the aggregate and the opportunity to write one’s own story for the individual,” O’Loughlin said. “Augsburg’s well-known intentional pursuit of these values calls me to join this community. The university is doing amazing work, and I’m excited to become a part of it.”

O’Loughlin has served as provost and dean of the faculty at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, since 2016, and also served the institution as interim dean of students and Title IX coordinator. Prior to Coe College, she served in leadership positions at Gustavus Adolphus College and the University of Minnesota–Morris. She has also taught at Carleton College, Macalester College, and the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. O’Loughlin earned her PhD in political science from the University of Minnesota and her bachelor’s degree in government from Smith College in Northampton, Mass. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for excellence in teaching, service, and scholarship.

“Dr. O’Loughlin’s skills, experiences in Minnesota’s higher education landscape and in Lutheran higher education, values as a leader, and unique perspective will contribute to Augsburg as we continue our mission to educate students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders,” Pribbenow said.

About Augsburg

Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate degrees to approximately 3,200 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. 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. Learn more at Augsburg.edu.

Augsburg has earned the 2022-23 Military Friendly® School designation.

Military Friendly Schools strive toward and succeed in the areas that matter most in helping veterans make the transition from the military to school and, ultimately, satisfying careers in the civilian world.

The Military Friendly Schools list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources from more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans, and responses to a proprietary, data-driven survey from participating institutions.

Learn more about how Augsburg proudly supports military veterans and those who actively serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Augsburg University has been named a top producer of Fulbright students among U.S master’s institutions for 2021-22. Each year the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced the top producing institutions for the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. The Chronicle of Higher Education publishes the lists of top producers of Fulbright U.S. scholars and students annually. With three awards this year, Augsburg ranks among the top 10 master’s institutions in the United States for Fulbright students.

The three Augsburg students who received 2021-22 Fulbright Awards to teach English abroad are Shamsa Ahmed ’21 (South Korea), Citlali Escobar ’21 (Taiwan), and Ciashia Shiongyaj ’21 (Taiwan).

The Fulbright competition is administered at Augsburg through the Office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity.

About the Fulbright Program

For over 75 years, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants-chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential-with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to challenges facing our communities and our world. Over 1,900 diverse U.S. students, artists,and early career professionals in more than 100 different fields of study receive Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants annually to study, teach English, and conduct research overseas. For more information, visit eca.state.gov/fulbright.

About Augsburg

Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate degrees to approximately 3,200 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. 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.

Starting this fall, Augsburg University will launch the American Indian Recognition Full Tuition Program to support and promote the importance of American Indian students on campus.

While several states have enacted laws providing financial aid to American Indian students, this full-tuition program appears to be one of the first of its kind among private U.S. colleges and universities. Unlike many public institutions, Augsburg’s program does not limit eligibility to American Indian students who live in the state.

The program defines “American Indian” as an enrolled member of any federally recognized American Indian tribe, Alaskan Native Village, or Canadian First Nation, or a direct descendent (child or grandchild) of an enrolled or tribally verified member. A student does not need to be a Minnesota resident or establish residence on trust land to participate.

“One of our commitments at Augsburg is to bring an equity lens to affordability,” said Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow. “This program is one step toward recognizing the profound contributions American Indian students and their communities make to the university and to higher education more broadly.”

“This program is groundbreaking among private universities nationwide. But at the same time, it is absolutely in line with Augsburg’s long-standing commitments to intentional diversity and inclusive excellence,” said Eric Jolly, president and CEO of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and a member of Augsburg’s Board of Regents. “I hope this is just the first of many institutions designing creative and equitable paths to education for native and First Nations people.”

All program applicants must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually. For eligible students with family incomes under $125,000, the program will cover all remaining tuition and fees after state and federal financial aid (such as a Pell Grant) have been applied. The program will cover 100% of tuition and fees above the estimated family contribution determined by the FAFSA for eligible students with family incomes above $125,000. Students can apply other scholarships or external financial aid toward costs such as housing, meals, transportation, and books.

As of fall 2022, the program will be open to currently enrolled or newly admitted first year students, transfer students, and participants in any of Augsburg’s undergraduate adult degree completion programs. It is renewable for up to eight full-time fall and spring terms for traditional undergraduate students, or until degree requirements are completed for adult degree completion students. To be eligible, students must demonstrate a commitment, grounded in lived experience, to recognizing the importance and diversity of American Indians in higher education.

“The systemic injustices that have limited access to higher education for many American Indian students need structural solutions. This program is one step that we as an institution can take,” said Joanne Reeck, Augsburg’s vice president for equity and inclusion.

“My mom and dad told me my whole life, you’re going to college. It was a “where” and not an “if.” What I needed from a school—the main thing that was going to make or break it—was if I could afford it,” said Reuben Kitto Stately, a fourth-year Augsburg student from both the Red Lake Nation and Santee Sioux Nation. “But the culture of the campus, the way the Native students support each other, was also a big selling point. This part of the south side (of Minneapolis) is the most concentrated urban Native population in the whole country.”

The deadline to apply for the American Indian Recognition Full Tuition Program is May 1 for fall enrollment and December 1 for spring enrollment. Details and eligibility criteria are available at Augsburg.edu/american-indian-recognition.

About Augsburg

Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate degrees to approximately 3,200 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. 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.

Learn more at Augsburg.edu.

Augsburg University was recognized today by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for having produced the most Gilman recipients over the past 20 years in the “small institutions” category. Sixty Augsburg students have used Gilman awards toward a study abroad experience since 2001; this number does not include scholarship winners who did not end up studying abroad for different reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Gilman Scholarships are a priority for Augsburg University because they help us fulfill our mission to be ‘small to our students, big for the world,’” said Andrea Dvorak, associate director of off-campus study at Augsburg’s Center for Global Education and Experience. “Our work helping individual students prepare their essays is intimate and personal—we get to learn from our students’ stories and gain a deeper understanding of their lives. The result is twofold: our staff expand our ability to work with more and more diverse students, and our students bring their lived experience into the wider world. We know this has a lasting impact on their own lives, their study abroad host communities, their academic field and future professions, and even their home communities here in Minneapolis.”

Established in 2001, the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program has made study abroad more accessible and inclusive by providing scholarships to outstanding U.S. undergraduate students who, due to financial constraints, might not otherwise participate. Since the program’s inception, more than 34,000 Gilman Scholars have studied or interned in more than 155 countries. 

To learn more about Gilman Scholarships, visit gilmanscholarship.org. The Gilman competition is administered at Augsburg through the Center for Global Education & Experience.

About Augsburg

Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate degrees to 3,400 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. 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. Learn more at Augsburg.edu.

The Forum on Workplace Inclusion, a program of Augsburg University, is launching a new learning opportunity: Professional Development Labs. Each PDL is a half-day mini conference that focuses on a specific industry or topic, and participants will come away with a goal-oriented action plan.

The first PDL, “Engaging Religious Diversity in the Workplace: Building Your Interfaith Strategy and Skillset,” will be 12-4 p.m. Central on Monday, November 8. This online PDL, created in conjunction with Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), will help participants learn why engaging religious diversity matters in the workplace, identify concrete skills to engage religious diversity and enhance workplace culture, and create a customized action plan for how to engage religious diversity productively in the workplace. Participants can choose from three action planning breakout sessions: Simple First Steps to Engaging Religious Diversity in Your Workplace; What Happens When Conflict Arises?: Addressing Challenging Religious Diversity Scenarios at Work; or Formalizing Interfaith Engagement: Creating an Interfaith Employee Resource Group in Your Workplace. The presenters will include Eboo Patel (IFYC), Farah Siddiqui (Salesforce), and Megan Hughes Johnson (IFYC). More information and a registration link are available on this PDL’s webpage.

Two additional PDLs on topics yet to be determined will be scheduled for 2021-22.