Augsburg is getting ready to celebrate the accomplishments of its 860 students in the Class of 2008 who are eligible to graduate this year at two Commencement Ceremonies — Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, June 29.
On May 3, 364 Day College students and 26 physician assistant studies students
cross campus for the last time as Augsburg students, marching to Melby
Hall through two long lines of faculty, who are cheering them on and
giving out well-deserved high-fives and hugs. For the weekday students
it’s a different scene than the one they remember on that day in September
when they marched as a class for the first time, to the Opening Ceremony,
timidly, through faculty welcoming them to college.
The Commencement speaker on May 3 will be Professor Jack Weatherford,
a cultural anthropologist at Macalester College, who became a best-selling
author with his book Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern
World, with research that took him to Mongolia a number of times
over the past several years.
His scholarship focuses on how tribal peoples around the world relate
to the larger societies surrounding them, which he has applied to cultures
as disparate as coca growers in Bolivia, American Indians in the U.S.,
and politicians on Capitol Hill. He has written numerous articles and
several books, and has appeared on such popular news and feature shows
as the Today show, ABC Evening News with Peter Jennings, All Things
Considered, and Nightwatch.
Professor Weatherford will receive an honorary degree from Augsburg
College, Doctor of Humane Letters, for his teaching that encourages
students to use their skills in anthropology to understand relationships
in the world around them and to help them prepare for the challenges
of global citizenship.
For information and schedules for the two Commencement weekends, go
to www.augsburg.edu/commencement.
Senior class gift
As the semester comes to a close and we prepare say farewell to our graduating seniors, it is time once again to honor them with a donation to the senior class gift. Past gifts have included support for the Augsburg Fund, the Augsburg sign on top of Mortensen Hall, and the clock tower in the quad.
This year, the senior class gift committee has decided to use the money raised for further improvements and renovations of the new student lounge in the Christensen Center. During the last few weeks of the semester, the committee will be fundraising for the gift. They are inviting support from any interested students, faculty, parents, and alumni who want to honor the class of 2008. Gifts of any amount are welcome.
Seniors who donate $20.08 or more will receive a senior class gift T-shirt! Faculty and staff who donate $20.08, and students who donate $10 or more will be able to honor a graduating senior of their choice. Donors and seniors will be recognized at the May commencement reception.
Contact Martha Truax at truaxm@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1652 with questions. To give online, go to www.augsburg.edu/giving and under “Designation” choose “2008 Senior Class Gift.”
Senior gift text by Steve Savstrom