Bing tracking

CGEE Instructor Antonio Ortega Featured on Public Television in Morelos, Mexico

Student groupAntonio Ortega, a longtime Center for Global Education and Experience global faculty member, was recently interviewed on “Noticias de la Tarde” (Evening News) on Channel 3, the public radio and TV station in Morelos, Mexico.

Ortega discusses CGEE’s work in Mexico and the importance of the relationship between the US and Mexico, particularly for students that will go on to work with the Latinx population in the U.S. in fields like social work, nursing, and teaching.

Watch the segment on YouTube. To view English subtitles, select Subtitles/Closed Caption and then, in the settings, choose Auto Translate > English.

Professor William Green Speaks About Minneapolis Teachers Strike on WCCO and MPR

William GreenWilliam Green, M. Anita Gay Hawthorne professor of critical race and ethnic studies at Augsburg University, shared his expertise as a historian and former superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools in a WCCO news story on the Minneapolis teachers strike.

Green took part in two contract negotiations during his time as superintendent between 2006 and 2010. “The trickiest moment is to persuade constituents the compromise they may have to negotiate may not be satisfying,” he told WCCO. Green’s most recent book, “Strike!,” covers the 1970 Minneapolis teachers strike and will be released this fall.

Green also was interviewed by MPR for their March 17 story, “Mpls. teachers strike of 1970 changed education across the state.” Speaking about the teachers who were involved in that strike, Green said, “They are the pillars of middle-class society, yet they went out on the street, many of them had never done anything demonstrative like this before. Many of them had never participated in radical politics, so this was a culture shock.”

Announcing El-Hibri Endowed Executive Directorship for the Interfaith Institute

Nancy and Fuad El-Hibri
Nancy and Fuad El-Hibri

Augsburg University announces that a significant gift has been made for a new leadership position: the El-Hibri Endowed Executive Directorship for the Interfaith Institute.

This new role is thanks to a gift from Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri. They first learned of Augsburg while researching higher education options for their son Karim, who was in recovery from substance issues. The family has been actively engaged with the university since then and Karim has meanwhile graduated from Augsburg’s StepUP program.

In 2019, Augsburg University established Interfaith at Augsburg: An Institute to Promote Interreligious Leadership. This program illustrates the many ways in which our commitment to interfaith learning and leadership can shape our work on campus and in the wider community, and this work requires a strategic leader and distinguished scholar to provide direction.

Learn more.

Star Tribune Highlights Augsburg-affiliated Sod House Theater Production

Sod House Theater, co-founded by Darcey Engen ’88, professor and chair of Augsburg’s Department of Theater Arts, is offering a new production in September and October: “Arla Mae’s Booyah Wagon.”

The show was described as “a delicious comedy” in the Star Tribune’s weekly “Our Friday Best” column on August 26.

Engen and her husband, Luverne Seifert ’83, who co-founded the theater with her, serve as its co-artistic directors.

Professor Andrew Aoki Co-Authors Washington Post Article on Asian American Politics

Andrew Aoki

Andrew Aoki, professor of political science and senior fellow at Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship, is co-author of the timely “How to un-model a minority: A micro-syllabus on Asian American politics” in the Washington Post. In it, he and co-author Pei-te Lien argue, “In the midst of the U.S. racial reckoning, recognizing the complexity of Asian Americans can help with the task ahead.” To assist with this, Aoki and Lien have created a micro-syllabus on Asian American politics. The syllabus includes links to articles from the journal Politics, Groups, and Identities that will be available for free for a limited period of time.

Augsburg University Cancels Classes as Verdict is Expected

Augsburg University LogoAugsburg University classes are canceled immediately for the remainder of Tuesday afternoon and evening as a result of this afternoon’s verdict in the State versus Derek Chauvin trial,

Additionally, all campus activities and athletics, except those below, are canceled tonight and Lindell Library will be closed. 

There will be an Augsburg staff person on hand in each location to support students. Please wear face coverings and maintain social distancing. Space is limited, so we ask that faculty and staff attend only the vigil.

  • 5 p.m. vigil in the quad – all students faculty and staff are invited to attend
  • Late night breakfast – 8 to 10 p.m. in the Dining Commons

In the event of a curfew, Augsburg will suspend campus operations as we have done in the past week. Resident students are still able to leave their residential unit to go to the Dining Commons for the evening meal. 

For the rest of the week (Wednesday and Friday), all scheduled courses will move to remote learning modalities.  As a reminder, courses meeting on Thursday this week were previously canceled.  

View the different levels of response that have been coordinated with Residence Life, Public Safety, and Day Student Government.

Augsburg Cancels Classes, Suspends Operations Thursday

Given all that is happening in the Twin Cities community this week, including closing arguments in the Chauvin murder trial Monday, the likelihood of a verdict being reached in the coming days, increased police presence, and Daunte Wright’s funeral on Thursday, Augsburg has canceled classes and suspended operations on April 22. 

“We recognize that one day is not enough, but it is clear that this pause offers space that our community needs, in particular our Black students, faculty, and staff,” said Paul Pribbenow, president of Augsburg University. “On Thursday, please do what you need to do to take care of yourself in the manner that is meaningful for you,” he told students, staff, and faculty. 

This time of grief and anxiety comes during a pandemic that has changed how we study, live, and work, and makes the challenges of this moment even more difficult for students, faculty, and staff to navigate. Many at Augsburg will want to take time to mourn Daunte Wright, remember George Floyd, and engage in the important work of anti-racism. 

Essential operations will continue Thursday. Normal class schedules and our COVID-19 modified operations will resume on Friday, April 23. During this time, Augsburg continues to monitor and communicate as needed based on developments in the trial and in our community.

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.

Augsburg Professor William Green Interviewed in PBS Story on the Chauvin Trial

William GreenWilliam Green, M. Anita Gay Hawthorne professor of critical race and ethnic studies, was one of the experts interviewed in a PBS NewHour story on the Chauvin trial. 

Green commented that, while he was hopeful, he also was concerned that there may not be lasting change, even if Chauvin is convicted. “The very nature of a trial narrows down the issue to a focus that may not deal with any kind of systemic change at all,” he said. 

The story is available as a video and transcript at “Minneapolis on edge as the trial in the police killing of George Floyd approaches.”

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

Professor Emeritus Mark Engebretson Surpasses 300 Publications

Professor Mark EngebretsonMark Engebretson, professor emeritus of physics at Augsburg University, recently surpassed his 300th publication when three articles to which he contributed were published earlier this month: 

  • “Observations of Particle Loss due to Injection-Associated Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves” in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
  • “Magnetic Conjugacy of Pc1 Waves and Isolated Proton Precipitation at Subauroral Latitudes: Importance of Ionosphere as Intensity Modulation Region” in Geophysical Research Letters 
  • Nighttime magnetic perturbation events observed in Arctic Canada: 3. Occurrence and amplitude as functions of magnetic latitude, local time, and magnetic disturbance indices” in Space Weather 

With the publication of these papers, he is now the author or co-author of 303 publications. In addition, another of his articles, for which he was lead author, was recently accepted for publication.

In October, Engebretson received his 30th grant from the National Science Foundation.

Scientific research is usually collaborative, so most of Engebretson’s publications were written in collaboration with several colleagues from around the world. Augsburg undergraduates have been co-authors of 27 of these publications, and five students have been lead authors. Engebretson’s publications have included articles in Annales Geophysicae, Nature, and Sun and Geosphere and a chapter in “The Dynamic Loss of Earth’s Radiation Belts,” among many other journals, conference proceedings, and books.

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.

Professors Margit Berman and Mark Carlson-Ghost Receive the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology President’s Award

Margit BermanMark Carlson-Ghost

Margit Berman, program director for Augsburg University’s PsyD program in Clinical Psychology, and Mark Carlson-Ghost, clinical associate professor at Augsburg, received the 2021 President’s Award from the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology.

The award was given to recognize their outstanding leadership during the closure of the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology, ensuring that their students and faculty found an educational home at Augsburg.

Learn about the association.