Alumni Program Blog - Page 38 of 60 - Alumni, Parents, and Friends

Campus Kitchen Reaps New Grants

Posted on November 4, 2014July 5, 2018

Augsburg College Campus Kitchen was founded in 2002, and is now the most comprehensive Campus Kitchen organization in the United States, and is one of only two colleges in Minnesota offering the program. Augsburg Campus Kitchen provides 18,000 meals annually to the surrounding neighborhoods, mostly derived from overages in Augsburg’s student food service—food that would otherwise go to waste.

Campus Kitchen provides free meals and healthy food through three different activities: meals created from the overages of the on-campus dining facility and served at neighborhood non-profits, produce gathered as donations from local farmers at area farmers markets and brought to local food shelves, and an on-campus food shelf that students in need can access from a student-run food shelf.

Foundation support:

The success and growth of Campus Kitchen is strongly supported by local corporations, who value the opportunity for their employees to engage more deeply with their communities, and live their values as corporations. Ameriprise Financial awarded Augsburg College Campus Kitchen a $5,000 grant in September 2014. Ameriprise understands that small nonprofits require consistent streams of general operating support, and has supported Augsburg College Campus Kitchen since 2009.

Land O’Lakes also awarded Campus Kitchen a $10,000 grant in October 2014. Land O’Lakes supports programs that alleviate food insecurity, and this is the first grant award from Land O’Lakes for Campus Kitchen. Thank you!

Interested in learning how to get involved? Check out the Augsburg College Campus Kitchen’s website and Facebook page. Don’t forget to support Campus Kitchen on Give to the Max Day! Give or schedule your gift here.
Continue reading “Campus Kitchen Reaps New Grants” →

StepUP Gala is a Success

Posted on November 3, 2014November 6, 2014

The annual StepUP^® Gala was held Oct. 24 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. More than 350 attendees, including 100 StepUP alumni and current students, participated in the evening that included keynote speaker, author, and StepUP parent Sarah Nielsen; emcee, comedian Bill Arnold; and alumni speaker, Samuel O. Spafford ’09. A live auction featured a private party with dinner prepared by celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern, tropical getaways, a golf package and more.

Generous attendees brought in $290,000 in donations for the occasion, which is the primary fundraiser for all StepUP activities. This year, StepUP serves more students than ever before as it helps students navigate their way toward a bachelor’s degree while maintaining a 93% sobriety rate. Continue reading “StepUP Gala is a Success” →

PHD Teams Play World’s Longest Baseball Game

Posted on November 3, 2014June 8, 2020

It was 6 a.m. on August 3, and the Red and Blue teams were finishing their second overnight shift at the Park High School JV Baseball Field in Cottage Grove as they attempted to beat the record for the world’s longest baseball game. Having played in two hours of torrential rain the day before, they were exhausted, though playing in shifts helped. The music behind the backstop kept them alert, but some worried they might not stay awake to beat the old record of 62 hours, 32 minutes, 59 seconds. Full count, the pay-off pitch, and the batter flailed uncontrollably for strike three. Then, blaring through the loudspeakers came the sounds of M.C. Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This,” producing a great moment of levity and a welcome energy boost. They persevered and completed the game after 63+ hours, setting the new record for the Guinness Book of World Records. They tallied 575 runs, 293 innings, and more than 12,000 pitches!

Bryan Ludwig ’08, who organized the event, is a head coach and general counsel for the PHD Baseball Club, LLC, which was created in 2009 by another Auggie, Brian Bambenek ‘07, and two of his friends. The idea behind PHD (pitching, hitting, defense) is for the coaches to share the love of baseball and return immense value to participating athletes in a manner that is unmatched in Minnesota, training these young men and giving them the tools they need to succeed on and off the field.

The “longest game” was intentionally tied to charity to provide a way to live out PHD’s mission, and to encourage the athletes to give back. Their first attempt in 2013 to break the record fell short, but they raised thousands of dollars for the Masonic Cancer Center at the U of M. The group used this year’s event to support the ALS Association Continue reading “PHD Teams Play World’s Longest Baseball Game” →

Volunteers Needed for Vespers

Posted on November 3, 2014February 23, 2016

Plan to be a part of Advent Vespers this year? If you’re able to lend a hand to this signature Augsburg College event, we’d love to welcome you as a volunteer at any one of five services. We could use many volunteers to usher and work the will-call table.

Vespers services will be held:

Friday, December 5: 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Saturday, December 6: 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Volunteers should plan to arrive at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis (333 S. 12th St.) 60-90 minutes prior to each service. The service lasts approximately 90 minutes.

If you are able to volunteer at Vespers this year, please contact Jenna Leahy at leahy@augsburg.edu.

Calling All Norwegian Sweaters!!

Posted on October 31, 2014February 23, 2016

We like to think of Velkommen Jul at Augsburg College as the largest gathering of Norwegian sweaters in Minnesota. This traditional festival to usher in the Christmas season brings campus together around a lovely, historic tradition that features Scandinavian yuletide music, tasty treats including krumkake and lefse, Norwegian bunads, a bake sale of holiday goodies, and a visit from St. Nicholas during chapel. Donations are accepted and welcomed in support of student scholarships.

We love gathering together each year for this event that welcomes students from all backgrounds and faiths into long-cherished Augsburg traditions. But as we all know, these beautiful, long-wearing sweaters are not inexpensive.

Here is where you can help! Please consider donating any older or unworn Norwegian sweaters for our students to wear for this wonderful event and throughout the Christmas season. Sweaters must be clean and in reasonably good condition. No matter who you are or your background, let’s share the wealth of Norwegian sweaters that is so proudly displayed here in Minnesota winters.

Please make your sweater donations by Wednesday, November 26 at noon. Please call 612-330-1085 with any questions. Sweater donations may be mailed or delivered to the Alumni and Advancement office at:

Oren Gateway Center
Suite 300
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis MN 55454

Connect with a Current Auggie

Posted on October 7, 2014June 26, 2018

The Strommen Center for Meaningful Work is a terrific resource for students on campus. If you haven’t looked into its work in helping students develop the skills, habits of mind, and values that are the foundation for life choices, career success, and active citizenship, please do so. There are so many ways that alumni can support our students on their vocational journey.

Alumni are a critical way that students can connect with internships, learn about employment opportunities and how to navigate the hiring process. Ultimately, the Strommen Center works to help students find their own meaningful work. Be sure to check out the upcoming event’s on the Strommen Center’s website, or contact programming coordinator Sandy Tilton (612-330-1472; tilton@augsburg.edu) or DJ Hamm (612-330-1329; hammd@augsburg.edu) to find out more.

As an Augsburg alum, how can I help?

Continue reading “Connect with a Current Auggie” →

Maroon & Silver Society Reception Celebrates Record Growth

Posted on October 7, 2014June 21, 2017

Meeting of the Presidents: President Paul C. Pribbenow and Day Student Body President Banna Kidane '15: — Meeting of the Presidents: President Paul C. Pribbenow and Day Student Body President Banna Kidane ’15.

Homecoming Week kicked off with the third annual Maroon & Silver Society reception on Tuesday, September 23, in the Arnold Atrium of Hoversten Chapel. The Maroon & Silver Society recognizes donors who give generously to the College’s annual fund, The Augsburg Fund, with gifts of $1,000 or more each year.

Continue reading “Maroon & Silver Society Reception Celebrates Record Growth” →

Secretary of State Candidates Debate at Augsburg on Oct. 28

Posted on October 2, 2014April 20, 2022

One week before the general election, Augsburg College hosts the fall Sabo Symposium, a debate between the four candidates running for the Minnesota Secretary of State. Bob Helland (Independence), Bob Odden (Libertarian), Dan Severson (Republican), and State Rep. Steve Simon (DFL) will square off at October 28, at 7 p.m. in Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center, on the Augsburg campus.

The event is co-sponsored by the Minnesota League of Women Voters. Minnesota Public Radio’s The Uptake wrote about “17 Debates that Could Determine Minnesota’s Future” in a recent online article. Read more on The UpTake website.

Video of the forum will be livestreamed on TheUptake.org during the event. After the event, video will be available on the League of Women Voters Minnesota YouTube page.

Forum attendees may submit questions for the candidates by email in advance or in writing at the event. Emailed questions should be sent to SOSquestions@lwvmn.org by noon on Monday, October 27. All questions will be anonymous and screened by a neutral committee.

Twin Cities Broadcasting Leader Comes to Augsburg

Posted on October 1, 2014March 8, 2017

Stanley Hubbard, the chairman of Hubbard Broadcasting will headline the fifth annual Clair and Gladys Strommen Executive Speaker Series for 2014-2015. The purpose of the series is to bring local business leaders to the Augsburg campus to share their insights and expertise with students, alumni, and the general public. The Series is offered three times annually, and has featured Doug Baker, CEO of Ecolab; Richard Davis, CEO of US Bancorp; Chris Policinski, CEO of Land O’Lakes, Mary Brainerd, CEO of HealthPartners and many others. The program begins at 5 p.m., November 13, 2014 in the Sateren Auditorium. All are welcome to a networking reception immediately following Hubbard’s presentation, hosted in the Christensen Center.

Hubbard will speak about his vision for broadcasting and expand on his lifetime of success in broadcasting: “Success from any angle: lessons learned from a lifetime in broadcasting.” For more than 80 years, Hubbard Broadcasting has stayed on the industry’s cutting edge, pioneering innovations in radio, television, and satellite broadcasting. Hubbard Broadcasting owns 13 television stations serving Minnesota, New Mexico, and New York, and 30 radio stations in Washington D.C., Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Seattle, Phoenix, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. Mr. Hubbard is also active in community and broadcasting affairs. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of St. Thomas, the Board of the University of Minnesota Foundation, and the Board of Visitors of the University of Minnesota Medical School.