Minnesota lawmakers are again taking action to strengthen policies and programs focused on preparing the next generation of teachers in our state.

Thus far this legislative session, three Augsburg University students have testified in support of the Increase Teachers of Color Act of 2019 and other teacher diversity bills. Abdirizak Jama, Leyla Sahal, and Najma Abdille, all members of Augsburg’s East African Student to Teacher (EAST) program, were joined at the capitol by fellow EAST Scholars and by faculty from Augsburg’s Education department.

The EAST Program has been a recipient of the Minnesota legislature’s generous Collaborative Urban Educator (CUE) funding since 2013. EAST is led by Program Director Dr. Audrey Lensmire and Program Manager Hana Salad. EAST scholars pursue Bachelor’s or Master’s Degrees in Elementary, Secondary, or Special Education. Ms. Sahal is pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in Elementary Education. Ms. Abdille is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Education with a license in K-12 English as a Second Language. Mr. Jama is pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in English as a Second Language.

Passing legislation to help attract, prepare, and retain more teachers of color and American Indian teachers in Minnesota has been the focus of the Coalition to Increase Teachers of Color and American Indian Teachers in Minnesota, a group spearheaded by faculty at Metro State University with support from Augsburg faculty and educators around the state.

Research has proven that a racially and ethnically diverse teacher workforce is crucial to the success and learning of students in our state. The EAST Program stresses the importance of culturally relevant mentorship and leadership in the teacher preparation process as well as tutoring and other direct support. To date, 41 students have enrolled in the program.

Augsburg is particularly grateful to Rep. Jim Davnie, Rep. Mohamud Noor, Rep. Hodan Hassan, Sen. Patricia Torres Ray, and Rep. Carlos Mariani, among many others, who have supported teacher diversity legislation during this and previous sessions.

Pictured above are education equity advocates from Augsburg University and Metro State University with Representative Mohamud Noor (center). EAST Scholar Leyla Sahal is pictured at right, alongside Program Director, Audrey Lensmire, and Program Manager, Hana Salad.

Students Spend 100 days on the Mississippi River

On August 24th, 15 students, one faculty member and two guides departed on a 100 day expedition down the Mississippi River. The River Semester provides a high-impact educational experience by combining rigorous coursework and a unique, immersive field experience, with strong partnerships all along the Mississippi River.

Augsburg’s River Semester is a model for education in the 21st Century–highly experiential, connected and wired, with project-based and applied learning opportunities for students in the context of an ambitious expedition down one of the world’s iconic waterways. Students end up paddling close to 1,000 river miles, averaging 70 miles per week. Along the way, they will earn a full 16 credits

“We do this because we think this is the best way to learn both about the Mississippi River, but just the best way to learn in general about what’s going on out in the world,” said Joe Underhill, Associate Professor and director of the River Semester program.

The emphasis of the trip is spending time on the river, not on a given destination, with a slower pace overall and more time for field research and coursework along the way. Weather conditions and encounters along the way will shape the distance covered and the experience of the students.

In addition to rigorous coursework and a unique, immersive field experience, students engage with ecologists, activists, and community members all along the Mississippi River. Back on campus, Underhill expects that approximately 50 students and 10 faculty across 6 courses and 9 departments (Environmental Studies, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Communications, Political Science, American Indian Studies, History, and Psychology) will be directly engaged with the program during the semester.

Thanks to the Pentair Foundation for providing opportunities for underrepresented students in STEM fields to participate in this experiential learning opportunity.

Follow the expedition on social media via Twitter, @RiverSemester and Instagram, River_Semester.

This fall, Augsburg University will launch initiatives to build capacity for integrating environmental sustainability across all curricular, co-curricular, and operational aspects of campus life.  

The initiatives are made possible by a grant from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies. The Minnesota-based foundation believes that college and university campuses can serve as models of operational sustainability to the society at large, testing practical solutions that others can adopt.

Augsburg will provide students with additional opportunities to pursue internships and other experiences at sustainability-focused organizations, help strengthen and expand course offerings in Environmental Studies, and work to integrate sustainability and wellness across the academic curriculum. Funds will be made available for student and faculty research, curriculum innovation, and more.

Projects will be supervised by Allyson Green, Augsburg University chief sustainability officer, Associate Professor Joe Underhill, Program Director of Environmental Studies, Emily Schilling, assistant professor of Biology and Environmental Studies, and Christina Erickson, associate professor of Social Work and Environmental Studies and Batalden Faculty Scholar in Applied Ethics.

“The next breakthrough in sustainability could come from a student majoring in communications, philosophy, or education,” said Green, who also serves as director of the Campus Kitchen program. “For all of us to live on this planet sustainably and equitably, we need all perspectives, experiences, types of knowledge, and skill-sets to be part of the work. The breadth of this challenge is daunting, and an interdisciplinary approach opens immense opportunities.”

Augsburg University President Paul C. Pribbenow believes that efforts to achieve sustainability must give consideration to the environment, the economy, and issues of equity.

“As a college of the Lutheran Church, we’re called to prepare our students to address and overcome global challenges such as climate change, hunger and food insecurity, and limited access to clean water,” said Pribbenow. “As a liberal arts institution embedded in a diverse, urban environment, we’re accustomed to collaboration across disciplines and beyond the classroom. These important initiatives will better position us to meet these challenges head on.”

This is the second recent grant the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation has awarded Augsburg. In 2015, the foundation contributed $1 million to the campaign to build the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion.

Photo: Janet Morales, director of College and Career Partnership Programs, plucks vegetables from her plot in the Augsburg University community garden. The garden, which has about 80 plots, is open to members of the Augsburg University community and the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.

Augsburg College invites regional and national businesses and charitable foundations to consider sponsorship of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum.

Sponsors of this annual event will have a unique opportunity to send a delegation of leaders within their organization to engage in meaningful conversation with leaders and peacebuilders from across the globe.

The 2017 Forum will take place September 13th-16th on the campus of Augsburg College. This year, we welcome Tunisia’s National Dialogue Quartet, the group awarded the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to establish a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia. Other featured guests include Norwegian Ambassador Kåre R. Aas, explorer Ann Bancroft, Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Global Health Corps’ co-founder Barbara Bush, and Yale University professor Elijah Anderson.

Through plenary sessions, workshops, and other events, the Forum will engage in national and international dialogues around the most pressing issues of our time. Dynamic speakers from across the globe will be invited to address the Forum’s five pillars:

* Human Rights and Social Justice
* Environmental Sustainability
* Food Security and Economic Development
* Global Health Systems
* Disarmament and Conflict Resolution

More information can be found at nobelpeaceprizeforum.org.

Please contact Lee George at lgeorge@augsburg.edu or 612 330-1629 for more information on sponsor benefits, levels of participation, and more.

Guest post by Kevin Kirby, CEO, Face It TOGETHER

Close to 70 percent of those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction go to work. Another three to four family members are affected at home. But only 10 percent of those who need help will get treatment in a given year. Most continue to hide their disease due to stigma, shame, and fear, driving tremendous costs in the workplace. Unfortunately, employers historically have been ignored or perceived as adversaries by many in the traditional addiction recovery movement. But because employers and the private sector bear some of the greatest costs when it comes to addiction, they’re also positioned to affect the greatest change.

• In 2010, excessive drinking cost the U.S. $249 billion, mostly due to reduced productivity, crime, and the cost of treating related health problems.
• On average, untreated addiction in the workplace costs employers $1,700 per employee per year.
• Addiction problems annually cost business 500 million workdays.
• People with an alcohol problem use twice as much sick leave and are five times more likely to file workers’ compensation claims.
• Health care costs for employees with addiction problems are twice those for other employees.
• Individuals with addiction problems are far more likely to have worked for three or more employers in the previous year.

Since 2009, we’ve been working in partnership with employers to help their employees and family members get well from addiction. Our innovative program brings culture change and peer support to the workplace to improve the bottom line.
We offer employers a powerful value proposition: we help them address one of their most pressing and costly workforce issues. Our work leads to stronger employee engagement and productivity, as well as reduced attrition and operational costs.

Our focus is culture change. We help employers integrate addiction into their chronic disease management or wellness programs. The goal is to remove stigma, fear, and other barriers to seeking help.

The program is customized and easy to implement. Key elements include:

• Workplace education and outreach
• Coordination with Employee Assistance Programs and wellness and benefits programs
• Supervisor training and human resources support
• Peer recovery coaching and navigation to services (virtual or in person)
• Coworkers in recovery peer support programs
• Outcomes measurement

An example of the initiative in action is with Raven Industries, a publicly held technology company in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. During the past 4 years, our work with Raven has led to more than a dozen employees coming forward for help. Raven invested $44,000 in the program and estimates a return on investment multiple times that sum due to employee retention and other costs savings. Learn more from our case study on the partnership.

People suffering from addiction spend about one third of their lives at work. As we tell the employers we work with, solving addiction will not only get people well, it is good for business. And it’s also good for our communities. Real and meaningful solutions to addiction will only come when we face these challenges together.

Hear from people we’ve helped. Watch a video on our workplace partnerships.

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Kevin Kirby is a long-term addiction survivor and successful business executive, using his skills and experience to help transform what communities think and do about the disease of drug and alcohol addiction. 

Face It TOGETHER is a nationally focused nonprofit that began in 2009 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; this year they will expand their network to six states. Their mission is to get drug and alcohol addiction sufferers well. Face It TOGETHER is dedicated to fostering system change around the disease of addiction. A key focus of their work is peer recovery coaching, with a major emphasis on data, technology and outcomes measurement.

wefaceittogether.org