bing pixel

Got five weeks? Take a summer course

summerHow would you like to finish MAT 105 in just five weeks?

Need a fine arts credit? Try Digital Imaging, Web Design, or the History of Jazz.

Couldn’t fit a language into your schedule this year? Take American Sign Language or Spanish this summer.

Contrary to popular belief, our campus does not shut down after the May commencement ceremony. In addition to spring trimester weekend classes, Augsburg provides a robust course offering from the end of May into August.

Courses run five weeks in two sessions: Session I from May 27 to June 27, and Session II from July 8 to Aug. 8. Students can also take advantage of online courses that meet almost entirely through Moodle and may have occasional on-campus meetings. Continue reading “Got five weeks? Take a summer course”

Hesser named Sabo Professor of Citizenship and Learning

hesserAugsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow recently announced the appointment of Garry W. Hesser as the College’s first Sabo Professor of Citizenship and Learning. Hesser’s work in this new role will lay the groundwork for the establishment of the endowed Martin Olav Sabo Center and Chair.

As Sabo professor, Hesser’s activities will include collaboration with the Center for Service, Work, and Learning concerning student civic engagement and leadership; leadership in campus initiatives to practice democracy and civic engagement, such as issues forums and student programs; collaboration with Augsburg’s annual convocation series, and connections with the Christensen and Batalden symposiums; and identification of new opportunities to develop the Sabo Scholars Program and community outreach programs. Continue reading “Hesser named Sabo Professor of Citizenship and Learning”

Commencement, senior gift honor class of 2008

commenceAugsburg 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.  Continue reading “Commencement, senior gift honor class of 2008”

Mom's help + determination = degree

nguyenIt’s been six years since Augsburg senior Chau Nguyen last saw her mother. Six years since she last set foot in her native Vietnam. Six years since Chau arrived in the United States and worked her way — with Mom’s help — from an exchange student to graduating from Augsburg College on May 3 with a degree in International Business and Math.

Chau Nguyen grew up in Dalat City, Vietnam with her mother, stepfather, grandmother, sister, and brother. Her travels through the streets of Dalat gave Chau a constant reminder of the poverty in the city, especially among its many homeless children. As a girl, she remembers being scolded by her mother for stuffing her backpack full of rice and giving it away to less-fortunate children. Continue reading “Mom's help + determination = degree”

Senior gift honors class of 2008

senior_giftAs 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. Continue reading “Senior gift honors class of 2008”

Middle schoolers unleash their inner rock star

vsa On Friday, April 18, Augsburg College will host the seventh annual Metro

Arts Festival, a collaborative festival between the Augsburg Music

Therapy Program and VSA Arts of Minnesota.

Over 100 Twin Cities middle school students with disabilities will take part in this year’s “Everyone’s a Rock Star” event. The middle schoolers will attend sessions including “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” “Rocker Apparel 101,” and “Intro to the Beats.” Members of “The Abdomen” — a sibling pop-rock group that was voted “Best Teenage Musicians” by the Twin Cities Music Academy — will also perform. Continue reading “Middle schoolers unleash their inner rock star”

Auggie books spring jazz concert at Dakota Jazz Club

jazzSara Horishnyk isn’t afraid of a little self-promotion. Just ask, and this gregarious Auggie will tell you about her latest adventures and where her band, Bigbody Applehead, is playing next. Last spring, the Augsburg College senior pitched herself and the idea of taking on an intern to Dakota Jazz Club co-owner, Lowell Pickett. “It took him a long time to decide,” she said, but eventually Sara got the job.

At first, the Dakota staffers didn’t know what to do with their first-ever intern, so Sara was assigned ticketing work in the office. Soon, her organizational skills and enthusiasm landed her the responsibility of booking hotels and transportation for nationally known artists such as Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Hugh Masekela, John McLaughlin, Toumani Diabate, Booker T. & the MG’s, and many others. She continues to work part-time for the club, even taking phone calls from a musician’s frantic stage manager while she was on tour with the Augsburg jazz band this past year. Continue reading “Auggie books spring jazz concert at Dakota Jazz Club”

Zyzzogeton festival highlights student achievement

This week, Augsburg will celebrate the creativity and scholarship of students with the 3rd-annual Zyzzogeton academic festival. Events include presentations of student research, performances of “Top Girls,” a concert of the Riverside Singers, and an all-student juried art exhibition. This year will also feature the first “Agre Shootout” and the second “Lutefisk vs. Lefse” debate.

The festival falls at the end of each academic year and is a culmination of achievement featuring work across divisions and departments. A “Zyzzogeton” is a green leaf-hopper as well as the last word in the Webster Collegiate Dictionary, which is a fitting symbol to mark the end of the academic year. Augsburg’s is the oldest festival of its kind in the country. Continue reading “Zyzzogeton festival highlights student achievement”

The Kidney Kabaret benefits Janet Paone '83

paone
Janet Paone ’83 brings Mrs. Vivian Snustad to life on stage in “Church Basement Ladies,” at the Plymouth Playhouse.

On April 21, the local theatre community is throwing a bash to benefit the Janet Paone Transplant Fund. It will help defray medical costs incurred by Augsburg alum Janet Paone, Class of 1983, when she underwent a kidney transplant in November. Paone, who has appeared most recently as Mrs. Snustad in the hit musical Church Basement Ladies, is well known in the Twin Cities theatre community.

The kidney Paone received was donated by a fellow actor, John Vaughn, after they met as the leads in “Fiddler on the Roof” in community theatre last summer. When it became urgent for Paone to get a transplant, Vaughn stepped forward with an offer to be her donor. Continue reading “The Kidney Kabaret benefits Janet Paone '83”

Two Auggies receive Fulbright scholarships

fulbright_olsen fulbright_stofferAugsburg seniors Ashley Stoffers and Erin Olsen have been awarded the esteemed Fulbright scholarship. The scholarships, administered by The Institute of International Education, provide fellowships for students to study, research, and/or teach abroad. Stoffers will be located in Korea, and Olsen will teach in Venezuela.

Dixie Shafer, Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity, guided the students through the grueling application process and encouraged Stoffers and Olsen to strive toward serving their community and world.”It was a long application process that involved writing a personal statement, writing a statement of proposed study, getting letters of recommendation, being evaluated by language evaluators, and an interview,” said Stoffers. Continue reading “Two Auggies receive Fulbright scholarships”