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Information is not knowledge

pippert_convocationThe following is an excerpt from Sociology professor Tim Pippert’s opening convocation address to students, titled “Information is not knowledge.”

As a sociologist, I am fascinated by social change and lately I have been drawn to the transformations that are taking place in the areas of education and the use of technology.

Because I am interested in how society is adapting to the explosion of internet-based technology, I found this talk very easy to write. I asked myself, “Why not use the available technologies?” I simply Googled “opening college speech” and immediately had hundreds to work with. Continue reading “Information is not knowledge”

Sverdrup Lecture features Barbara Baird of Cornell

The 2010-11 convocation series continues on April 11 and 12 with the Sverdrup Visiting Scientist Lectures.

Barbara A. Baird is the Horace White Professor and chair of chemistry and chemical biology at Cornell University. She received her BA in chemistry from Knox College and her PhD in chemistry from Cornell University. Her postdoctoral studies were carried out as a Damon Runyon Fellow in the immunology branch of the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health before she joined the Cornell faculty in 1980. Continue reading “Sverdrup Lecture features Barbara Baird of Cornell”

Somé to speak at Counseling and Health Promotion convocation

cchp_convoThe Augsburg College 2010-11 convocation series continues Friday and Saturday, Feb. 11 and 12, with author and activist Malidoma Patrice Somé. A book signing will be held Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in the Arnold Atrium, Foss Center.

Before his birth, in 1956, the elders of Somé’s village knew that his purpose in coming into this world was to carry the message of indigenous technology and spirituality to the western world, a place where modernity was growing increasingly hungry for a reconnection to ancient wisdom. Little did he know, as a young child stolen from his family and village, that the years he would spend under the harsh tutelage of the religious order would prepare the way for the eventual challenge of integrating old and new, the sacred and the mundane. Continue reading “Somé to speak at Counseling and Health Promotion convocation”

Koryne Horbal lecture features The Guerrilla Girls

guerrillagirlsThe Many Voices, Bold Visions convocation series continues this week with the Anne Pederson Women’s Resource Center Koryne Horbal lecture.This year’s lecture will feature a performance by The Guerrilla Girls on Friday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. in the Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center. This event is free and open to the public.

In the mid-eighties, a group of women artists took to the streets (with clever and politically devastating posters) to protest the lack of work by women artists and artists of color in museums. Working anonymously to expose sexism and racism in the art world, these women adopted the names of famous female artists and wore gorilla masks to protect themselves from the angry art world elite. Calling themselves The Guerrilla Girls, they have taken their activism from the U.S. to Canada, Japan, Ireland, Germany, and elsewhere—and have expanded their repertoire to include an attack on sexism and racism in Hollywood as well as in global politics. Continue reading “Koryne Horbal lecture features The Guerrilla Girls”

Distinguished contributions to teaching and learning

ctl_awardsAt the recent Honors convocation, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Office of the Dean recognized the 2010 recipients of awards for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and Learning.

Professor Robert Cowgill of the Department of English, Excellence in Teaching

Bob Cowgill is a brilliant teacher who is held in high regard by his students and colleagues. A University of Minnesota alumnus, Bob’s primary purpose in teaching is to help students understand their full humanity, and to understand themselves as artists. He is recognized by his students for creating a classroom environment that is intellectually challenging, respectful, and fun. His colleagues marvel at his command of the art of teaching; his students never forget him and Augsburg would not be the same without him. Continue reading “Distinguished contributions to teaching and learning”

The balance between humans and nature

cchp_convoAugsburg College presents the 2010 Counseling and Health Promotion convocation on Friday, Feb. 12 and Saturday, Feb. 13. This year’s presenter, Elena Avila, will share her concept of medicine as a curandera (healer).

Avila is a first generation Chicana born in the barrios of El Paso, Texas. Her parents were born in Mexico and brought their medicine with them out of Mexico — medicine passed down through time. Her family’s health care included Curanderismo as well as Western medicine. Continue reading “The balance between humans and nature”

Rochester convocation features Paul Horgen

roch_convoPaul Horgen, Former CEO of Think Mutual Bank in Rochester, Minn. will deliver the second annual Rochester convocation address on Tuesday, May 19 at Bethel Lutheran Church at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Horgen completed a 40-year career in 2007 including 21 years as CEO of Think Mutual, the seventh largest bank in Minnesota. His quest for business success started on a family farm in the mid-1960s then took a sharp upward spike in 1969 when he joined the U.S. Army, went to Vietnam, and learned leadership lessons from the ground up.

Simply asking good questions led him to a position in banking and in 1972 to his first CEO job at the age of 24. He held that position with three consistently successful companies for a total of 34 years. Horgen’s address to the Augsburg community, titled “A Search for Satisfaction: Can you Find It in Less than 40 Years of Looking?”, will draw on his business and personal experiences. Continue reading “Rochester convocation features Paul Horgen”

First Navajo female surgeon speaks at Augsburg

alvord_convoDr. Lori Arviso Alvord, the first Navajo female surgeon, returns to Augsburg College Feb. 13 and 14 to share the story of her journey from the reservation to become a surgeon and her work to combine Navajo philosophies of healing with western medicine, to create models of healing environments. This convocation is sponsored by the Center for Counseling and Health Promotion, American Indian Student Support Services, and Augsburg for Adults.

In order to encourage attendance at the Saturday convocation, WEC Saturday classes will be dismissed at 11:45 a.m. and will resume at 1:15 p.m.

Lori Arviso Alvord, MD is currently Associate Dean of Student and Multicultural Affairs at Dartmouth Medical School and a member of the Navajo Tribe, of the Tsinnajinne’ clan (Ponderosa Pine) and Ashihii’ Dine’ (Salt People) clan. Continue reading “First Navajo female surgeon speaks at Augsburg”

Watkins to speak at MLK convocation

mlk_convoThe 21st annual Martin Luther King, Jr. convocation at Augsburg College will feature Hollis Watkins, civil rights activist and president and founder of Southern Echo, Inc. The convocation will be held in the Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center, on Monday, January 19 at 1 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

A native Mississippian from rural Lincoln County, Watkins was born the twelfth child to sharecroppers from the country. After completing high school at the Lincoln County Training School, he attended Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Miss. with a double major in political science and history. Continue reading “Watkins to speak at MLK convocation”

Winona LaDuke presents Koryne Horbal Lecture

convo_ladukeThe fourth annual Koryne Horbal Lecture will feature internationally renowned activist and writer, Winona LaDuke. She will speak on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 11 a.m. in the Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center. A book signing in the Foss Atrium will follow the convocation.

Winona LaDuke works on issues of sustainable development, renewable energy, food systems, and environmental justice with Indigenous communities. She is the founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, one of the largest reservation-based nonprofit organizations in the country. In this project, she also continues national and international work to protect Indigenous plants and heritage foods from patenting and genetic engineering. The author of five books, including Recovering the Sacred, All our Relations, and a novel, Last Standing Woman, she is widely recognized for her work on environmental and human rights issues. Continue reading “Winona LaDuke presents Koryne Horbal Lecture”