Augsburg has been awarded a half million-dollar grant by the W.M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles to support the development of statistical literacy as an interdisciplinary curriculum in the liberal arts. This interdisciplinary project will help bridge the gap between formal mathematical statistics and informal critical thinking, between experimental studies and observational studies in the physical sciences, and between the social sciences and the humanities.

The goal of this project is to reform the teaching of statistics to include the use of observationally based statistics. Milo Schield, business administration professor, is the project leader and organizer of the proposal. This is the first time the W.M. Keck Foundation, one of the top national science funding foundations, has awarded a grant to Augsburg College.

John Knight, director of corporate and foundation relations, calls this "ground-breaking" for the College. Guided and driven by Augsburg 2004, Augsburg has the opportunity to forward its vision through this project, create a new discipline that informs and is informed by other academic disciplines, and extend the value of this work to instructors across the U.S.

During the three-year project, Schield will be responsible for writing a statistical literacy text that is useful to students and usable by faculty in various disciplines. There will also be a phase for training teachers and testing materials. Eight other faculty members will be team-teaching with Schield.

This project will introduce new ways of thinking about age-old problems in statistical education and ultimately in all of undergraduate education.

Augsburg Concert Band
tours Ireland
Now Online bonus—links for further information

The 65-member Augsburg Concert Band toured Ireland for 12 days in May, performing at schools, churches, and pubs. Led by Professor Robert Stacke ’71, the tour also included performances by the Augsburg Jazz Ensemble and Gospel Praise.

The tour wasn't all performances. "We really tried to build the students not just in performance, but educationally as well," Stacke said. Guided informational tours in Derry, Dublin, and Galway were just a few of the stops along the way.

This tour, "Music of the Americas," featured works by composers throughout the Americas (including Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, and the U.S.). Compositions by Augsburg student band members Brendan Anderson and Ben Duane were also played.

Ireland Tour photos

Augsburg Department of Music

The 2001-02 Augsburg Convocation Series
Race: Dividing and Uniting

The face and shape of American society is radically changing. While racial issues have and still do divide us and deserve serious attention, we look for ways to embrace racial diversity in one society and internationally that champion freedom, justice, compassion, and equality of opportunity.

2001-02 Augsburg Convo Series Web page