Radical Roots: How One Professor Changed a University’s Legacy

 

“Radical Roots: How One Professor Changed a University’s Legacy” tells the story of Augsburg University sociology professor Joel Torstenson. In the 1960s, Torstenson challenged his university to embrace its urban setting and to design its curricular, co-curricular, and community engagement programs to advance its mission of “Education for service.” The compelling story of Torstenson’s legacy at Augsburg over the past 60 years offers lessons for colleges and universities across the country committed to democratic engagement in their work at the intersections of mission and place.

“Radical Roots” documents and celebrates the legacy of Professor Joel Torstenson, and seeks to understand the impact of this legacy’s inception, evolution, and current manifestations and impact at Augsburg and in the wider world. The book also shares some of the lessons learned from 60 years of innovation following Torstenson’s vision, with the hope that these lessons might serve the broader community of colleges, universities, faculty, staff, and students engaged in similar pursuits.

Learn more or purchase a copy of 'Radical Roots.'

 

Digital Resources

• Dr. Joel S. Torstenson Collection, Augsburg University Archives
• Experiential Education at Augsburg
• Lindell Library Experiential Education Library Guide
• Cedar-Riverside Digital Tour: From Snoose Boulevard to Little Somalia

Articles

• “Augsburg Health Commons brings drop-in care to new locations” (Augsburg University News, 2023)
• “From a small-town book club to paddling the mississippi river, learning gets bigger outside the classroom” (Augsburg Now, Winter 2021–22)
• “‘Anchor strategy’: Twin Cities’ urban-revitalization methods stand out” (MinnPost, April 2019)
• “Business forum: Leading locally is key to community recovery out of the pandemic” (Star Tribune, September 2021)

Programs and Initiatives

• Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship
• Campus Kitchen
• Augsburg Health Commons
• Central Corridor Anchor Partnership
• Design & Agency
• River Semester
• Christensen Center fo Vocation
• Augsburg Local

Faculty Scholarship

• Publications by Associate PRKatie Clark, associate professor and Executive Director of the Augsburg Health Commons (Kettering Foundation)

Beyond Augsburg

• Place-Based Justice Network
• Campus Compact
• Field Guide for Urban University Community Partnerships by UVA
• Renewing the Democratic Purposes of Higher Education—AGB Guardians Initiative Report 

Explore Augsburg’s “Radical Roots”