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From film lab to Uptown Theatre

ben_katz On Friday, Aug. 22 at the Uptown Theatre, film alumnus Ben Katz ’08 (pictured left, red circle) will be screening “Bits,” an independent film about an awkward inventor who spends his days and nights obsessing over a mysterious project. Katz produced the film, and it stars Augsburg alumni Linnea Mohn ’04, Philip Mershon ’06, and Nancy Waldoch ’06.

Though Ben did not start out studying film at Augsburg (his first major was psychology), his first filmmaking course showed him that all he wanted to do was make films. “I realized that [making films] made me happy, and I would not be happy unless I was making films.” Continue reading “From film lab to Uptown Theatre”

Augsburg again among the 'Best in the Midwest'

Thanks in part to Augsburg students, the college once again is named as one of 159 “Best in the Midwest” colleges on The Princeton Review’s web site feature “2009 Best Colleges: Region by Region.”

The annual ranking considers institutional data collected by The Princeton Review, their visits to schools, and the opinions of high-school counselors. In addition, says Robert Franek, vice president for publishing, “We also take into account what each school’s customers — their students — report to us about their campus experiences at their schools on our 80-question student survey.”

What Auggie undergrads told The Princeton Review about their professors, for example, is that they “deserve a great deal of credit for creating an inviting, positive, thinking environment,” and for making the student experience feel “very personal.” Students also reported that “one of the greatest strengths of Augsburg is that it offers internships and study abroad classes to every student.” Continue reading “Augsburg again among the 'Best in the Midwest'”

Politics and the mighty Mississippi

river_politicsWhat better way to learn about the Mississippi River than to spend some time in it? In the summer, Augsburg political science professor Joe Underhill teaches students about environmental issues and policy-making using the river as his classroom. Underhill’s aim is to get students to explore the effect we have on the environment as well as how the environment affects us. He also hopes students will explore their personal and political decisions and how those decisions impact the world now and later.

Augsburg’s Minneapolis campus is just blocks away from the largest river in North America — the Mississippi. Underhill emphasizes that the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul were founded in this particular location because of the industrial and commercial potential of the river and the falls of St. Anthony. He adds that over the years, our life and work has greatly impacted the river ecosystem. Continue reading “Politics and the mighty Mississippi”

Auggie interns at the RNC

RNC1 In a few short weeks, more than 45,000 Republican delegates, party officials, volunteers, and members of the media will be in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro for the 2008 Republican National Convention. From September 1-4, the Twin Cities will host the 39th nominating convention for the Republican Party, the second nominating convention to be held in the Twin Cities. The convention will take place in St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center and will result in the nomination of the Republican candidate for the 2008 presidential election.

Minnesota’s participation in this aspect of the democratic process also brings opportunities to our Augsburg campus. Because of its commitment to civic engagement and service learning, Augsburg was chosen by the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars to host 250 students from across the country for a 2-week seminar in conjunction with the RNC. Continue reading “Auggie interns at the RNC”

Creating a bridge — Admission Possible and Augsburg College

admission_possible It should come as no surprise that a school like Augsburg College, with its commitment to opening doors to first-generation and under-served students, would attract alumni of the Admission Possible program. Over the years, Admission Possible has provided a bridge — from St. Paul to Minneapolis — for many of Augsburg’s staff members, in particular those who have joined our admissions or student service teams after completing their service at Admission Possible. Recently, the bridge traffic flowed in the other direction when Ashley Booker (pictured left), a student in the Master of Arts in Education program at Augsburg, started a new job. Continue reading “Creating a bridge — Admission Possible and Augsburg College”

Come to Auggie Night at the Races

auggie_races Free admission. Free food. Free $2 bet.

What’s with all this free stuff? It’s Auggie Night at the Races, a fun-filled evening for Augsburg alumni, faculty, staff, and students at Canterbury Park. Every year since 2005, Curt Sampson, Canterbury’s owner and a former member of the Augsburg Board of Regents, has opened his doors to the Augsburg family for an exciting night of live horse racing. This year’s event will be held Thursday, Aug. 7.

Since its first year, Jack Osberg ’62 of the office of Alumni and Parent Relations has attended Auggie Night at the Races with his family. The event gives Osberg, who coached Augsburg football for 14 seasons, an opportunity to reminisce with former Auggie football players and other athletes and to meet their families. Continue reading “Come to Auggie Night at the Races”

Welcome Back Auggies!

welcome Soon the serene days of summer will come to an end and Augsburg will once again buzz with activity as new and not-so-new students return to campus. See the Daily A-Mail and the Inside Augsburg calendar for more details and contact information for these and many other welcome-back events.

Highlights of welcome week include Auggie Days, a full schedule of events designed to help new Day students learn about life in the city and how to make the best of their time at Augsburg. Students will take trips to Target, the State Fair, and area museums. The will also learn note-taking strategies and how to manage their time and money. Auggie Days is sponsored by the staff and students of Campus Activities and Orientation. Continue reading “Welcome Back Auggies!”

StepUP Program hosts recovery and education conference

stepUP_conf The Augsburg College StepUP Program will present a conference titled “Networking For Change: Recovery and Education.” The conference will be held Monday, Aug. 11 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. in Foss Center and Oren Gateway Center at Augsburg College.

The conference, funded by a grant from the State of Minnesota Office of Higher Education, will attract licensed alcohol and drug counselors, staff from local agencies working with students in recovery, high school teachers and counselors, and state officials who support Augsburg’s receipt of the grant. Continue reading “StepUP Program hosts recovery and education conference”

Augsburg teachers training teachers

math_science2 Augsburg College was recently selected as a partner in the Minnesota Mathematics and Science Teacher Academy initiative. According to the Minnesota Department of Education, the Academy is a result of Governor Pawlenty’s efforts to improve teacher effectiveness particularly in the areas of math and science.

The Academy is comprised of nine regional teacher centers, each including at least one K-12 school district or education service cooperative and one higher education institution. Augsburg is partnering with Resource Training & Solutions in St. Cloud to provide training for 19 districts in Region 7. Approximately 140 teachers will participate in the program, which begins with a summer institute to be held August 11-15, 2008 at Apollo High School in St. Cloud. Continue reading “Augsburg teachers training teachers”