Dr. Megan Shroat, a long-time adjunct faculty member in the Psychology Department, passed away unexpectedly late last week.

Megan was a dedicated and talented teacher and an accomplished research psychologist in the area of drug and alcohol dependence. She was a strong advocate of Augsburg’s StepUP® program for students in recovery and shared the College’s commitment to making higher education accessible to diverse groups of students. Megan always took time to give extra support to students who needed it and was passionate about helping her students grow personally as well as academically.

Megan has served as a member of Augsburg’s adjunct faculty since 2005, teaching a variety of courses, including a topics course focused on drugs and behavior. She completed her Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Minnesota and her bachelor’s in psychology at Hamline University. She also completed coursework in the Augsburg MBA program during her time at Augsburg.

Megan’s family has scheduled a Service and Celebration for her on Wednesday, February 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, 511 Groveland, Minneapolis. Another service will be held in Megan’s hometown in western Minnesota this Saturday, February 15, at 10: 30 a.m. at Faith Lutheran Church, 106 8th St., Madison, Minn. The Augsburg community will hold Megan’s colleagues and family in our prayers during our daily chapel services this week.

Several students from Augsburg College, including Shane Xiong ’16, traveled to Cambodia for a service trip with the Global Connections Project that partly focused on human/sex trafficking. They visited Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam before reaching Cambodia, then stayed more than a week in Singha village at the Khmer Heart Center teaching conversational English to local children. Before they left, the Auggies raised funds for school supplies and uniforms for their students. They also raised funds to purchase bikes for some of the kids who walk up to five miles just to attend school. Their experience in traveling with meaning, being of service, and enriching lives has been rewarding and has left lasting and profound impacts upon each of them.

Shane reflects, “Our crossover to Cambodia went smoother than expected…made our first stop in Phnom Penh. It’s a beautiful place with its faults, as would any place (though manifested in different ways). More importantly though, it’s filled with beautiful people. We actually were in the midst of a political protest as well. Factory workers were out in the streets marching & protesting for better living conditions…”

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others,” by Mahatma Gandhi

Read more on the blog at http://globalconnectionsproject.org/blog/