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President Pribbenow Honors 3M CFO Nick Gangestad ’86 with Inaugural Golden Bow Tie

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Last week, more than 50 Auggies gathered for lunch at the 3M campus in Maplewood. Despite sharing the same employer, some who had known each other had not made the connection of sharing an alma mater! President Pribbenow shared anecdotes from Augsburg’s history with 3M. During the 1970s, Augsburg’s business program hosted courses at 3M, and many Auggie alumni from this era are still employed there. Currently, more than 200 Augsburg alumni work for 3M.

Bow TieHolly Knutson ’03, MBA ’07, Auggie extraordinaire and member of the 3M finance department, worked with the Alumni Association to honor Nick Gangestad ’86 for his recent promotion as CFO. Pribbenow presented Gangestad with the inaugural Golden Bow Tie award:

The Golden Bow Tie Award is bestowed upon a leader within the Augsburg Community who exemplifies outstanding achievement, embodies the core values of an Augsburg education and inspires great pride for all Auggies. Nick was also presented with a certificate and gold cufflinks in the shape of bow ties.

Nick Gangestad shared three core Augsburg philosophies at Augsburg that have impacted his life: faith, liberal arts, and a unique urban setting. As a student, Gangestad’s faith deepened, and he felt supported in that growth by Augsburg’s core Lutheran values. Liberal arts, the importance of entrepreneurship, and flexibility are also important to him. He attributes his liberal arts education to his ability to lead effectively at 3M. Coming from a small town in Iowa he had a distinct appreciation of Augsburg’s location in the city of Minneapolis.

The Augsburg Alumni Association can help you host your own workplace Augsburg Alumni event like this luncheon at 3M. To gather a group of Auggies at your workplace, please contact Amanda Scherer, assistant director of corporate and foundation relations at 612-330-1720 or scherera@augsburg.edu.

 

MAL in Nicaragua: 10 Years of Leadership and Learning

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On Jan. 22, Diana Pierce MAL ’15  hosted alumni and current students of the Master of Arts in Leadership and Physician Assistant programs in a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the MAL course on Nicaragua on Jan. 22. A student, KARE-11 news anchor, and 2014 Nicaragua trip participant, Pierce welcomed Juan Carlos Lopez, program coordinator for the Center for Global Education and Experience in Nicaragua, and a longtime trip facilitator. The event raised more than $1,000 to benefit NIca HOPE, a nonprofit, based in Managua, that works with communities in Managua to offer long-term solutions to entrenched poverty through education and practical skills training. 16215742810_b17a955129_z15780677044_cfb9acc051_z

The Faces Behind the Phone Call: Meet Your Augsburg Fund Callers

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Augsburg Fund Student Workers

Have you gotten a phone call from The Augsburg Fund Phonathon callers this year? Maybe you enjoy hearing from them, maybe you’ve blocked them, but we know them as 16 busy students who do great work on behalf of the College, five days a week. Their goal is to raise $85,000, and are halfway there at the midpoint in our fiscal year. At the year’s end, we’d like to pay tribute to the work they do. They have talked with 1,800 alumni from calling 41,438 alumni. On Give to the Max Day, they talked with or left messages for more than 1,500 people in 12 hours. (The results paid off for the College and The Augsburg Fund. See our story on Give to the Max Day if you haven’t already heard the good news.)

We share an office with them, and their bright energy helps buoy our spirits on quiet winter nights and exciting days like Give to the Max Day. Whether or not you’re in the mood for a call from Augsburg, these callers demonstrate tireless energy and positivity year round. In addition to school work, their work here serves current and future students at Augsburg. If you haven’t received a call from one of our student callers, and would still like to make a gift to The Augsburg Fund this year, visit augsburg.edu/giving or call: 612-330-1179. Next time you receive a call, you have a 3/16 chance of knowing a little bit about who they are, and from where they’re calling. So if you see a call from Augsburg, pick it up because it is a current student—and they genuinely love talking with alumni.
 Continue reading “The Faces Behind the Phone Call: Meet Your Augsburg Fund Callers” →

You Gave to the Max, and We’re So Grateful

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Give to the Max Day was Nov. 13, and we’re still beaming with pride. We came in #1 for giving among all MN colleges and universities again this year, but we’re even more proud to say that 1,300 Auggies near and far—including students, alumni, parents, friends, faculty, and staff—donated more than $432,000 to support The Augsburg Fund and 34 excellent Auggie projects. If you supported Augsburg on Give to the Max Day this year, we thank you for your generosity. Please enjoy our sincere, campus-wide appreciation for the good work we all did together.

MNUDL Needs YOU as a Volunteer Middle School Debate Judge

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Urban Debate League
Minnesota Urban Debate League, a nonprofit affiliated with Augsburg’s Sabo Center, is looking for volunteers to serve as Middle School Debate Judges for their upcoming December Tournament. No experience in debate is needed! We provide all the training needed to be a great judge. This is a great experience to directly serve Twin Cities youth and support their educational development.

 

We have over 500 Middle School students from the Twin Cities involved in our program. Judges serve as active listeners and educators for the student. As a judge you will listen to debates, determine a winner, and most importantly give student feedback on their speeches, helping them to grow in confidence.

Continue reading “MNUDL Needs YOU as a Volunteer Middle School Debate Judge” →

Campus Kitchen Reaps New Grants

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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 collage

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” →

Auggie in Residence

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The Auggie in Residence program is another great opportunity for alumni and parents to visit campus to reconnect with the College and its students. Through this unique program, alumni and friends of the College are invited to speak at a fall or spring class, meet with student groups or associations,  assist students in the Strommen Center for Meaningful Work, or tell us where you wish to help.

If you think an Auggie in Residence experience is something you would enjoy and you want to share your time and talent, contact David Hamm via email at volunteer@augsburg.edu or by phone at 612-330-1329.

Auggie Maroon Pages to Relaunch This Fall

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The Auggie Alumni Directory and the Maroon Pages are joining forces to provide you with a  resource to connect professionally and personally in one easy-to-use online tool.  This new online tool, the Auggie Maroon Pages, will launch on October 8, 2013. We need your help updating your record and listing by September 12, 2013.

You will have received a letter sent to your home with the personal and professional information we currently have on file. Use the enclosed survey to provide us with any changes and what you would like to appear in the re-launched, password-protected Auggie Maroon Pages. Thank you for helping make this service a resource for all alumni. Please complete and return the enclosed survey by September 12, or if you’d prefer to update your information online, go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni. Once you’re there, click on Auggie Maroon Pages.  If you are already a registered user, log in and edit your profile. If you’re new to the Auggie Maroon Pages, register as a new user. Once your registration is confirmed, you’ll be able to edit your information.

The Office of Alumni Relations is committed to connecting alumni with each other and the College. The new Auggie Maroon Pages is one more tool that will help us discover and share the many success stories of Augsburg graduates. The information submitted for class notes will be featured in future issues of the NOW magazine and NOW@Augsburg online newsletter. Help us share the difference an Augsburg education can make by submitting your class note through the Auggie Maroon Pages today!

Augsburg Builds Connections

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Augsburg College has graduated more than 16,500 students since 1869, many of whom have ascended to the top of their respective fields. Recognizing the essential role career mentoring plays in higher education, Augsburg provides an opportunity for alumni, parent professionals, and friends of the college to be involved as mentors in the lives and success of Auggie students. While advising focuses on skills needed for academic success, career mentoring focuses on the important human relationships and resources needed for professional success.

The Augsburg Builds Connections (ABC) mentoring program is one of many ways which Augsburg parents, alumni, and friends of the college are able to give back to the college by supporting our current students. This volunteer driven program is designed to connect students with mentors who will provide them with the guidance, networking opportunities, and resources required to complete the complex puzzle. The flexible nature of the program lets both the student and mentor to connect via email, phone, skype, or face-to-face meetings.

If you wish to learn more about the Augsburg Builds Connections program or other volunteer programs please contact David “DJ” Hamm, Volunteer and Alumni Engagement Manager, via email at hammd@augsburg.edu or by phone at 612-330-1329.

President Pribbenow Featured in Central Corridor Video

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The Central Corridor Funders Collaborative recently featured Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow in a video highlighting how together organizations are partnering to make neighborhoods places of opportunity that are accessible to people of all income levels, reflect community identities, and link all people to local amenities and regional opportunities.

The Central Corridor Funders Collaborative is a group of local and national funders that strongly supports the Central Corridor Light Rail Line because it offers opportunities to strengthen the regional economy and make the adjacent neighborhoods better places to live, work and access opportunity.

The Funders Collaborative supplements the programs and investment of our member foundations by working with community groups and public agencies to encourage collaboration, investment and planning “beyond the rail”.