bing pixel
  1. Home
  2. Year: 2009

The Minneapolis – Mosbach exchange

Posted on

germany_exchangeIn early January, an airplane crossed the Atlantic from the U.S. to the E.U. carrying, among other passengers, Shannon Backes, a junior international business major from Augsburg. Another plane flew in the opposite direction bringing Timo Birkhold from Mosbach, Germany to Minneapolis. The two students have effectively traded places as each spends a semester abroad through the International Partners program.

Backes [pictured left] arrived in Mannheim, Germany on Jan. 13 to attend a two-week German language course at Mannheim University. Following that program, she moved to Mosbach, a small town about two hours from Frankfurt, to begin her studies at Berufsakademie Mosbach. Continue reading “The Minneapolis – Mosbach exchange” →

Swenson Wall of Fame dedicated

Posted on

swensonAugsburg will honor the legacy of its 10-time national championship wrestling program with the dedication of the Jeff Swenson Wrestling Wall of Fame prior to the No. 1-ranked Auggies’ dual meet with No. 2-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) on Friday, Jan. 30 at the Si Melby Hall/Kennedy Center complex. The dedication will take place at 6 p.m., with the wrestling dual against Wartburg to follow at 7:30 p.m. There is also a high school dual meet between Albert Lea and Coon Rapids at 6 p.m. at Si Melby Hall.

The Jeff Swenson Wrestling Wall of Fame will contain more than 30 trophies earned by Augsburg wrestling squads from various national tournaments, along with other artifacts celebrating the rich history of Augsburg’s wrestling program, considered one of the elite small-college wrestling programs in the nation. Continue reading “Swenson Wall of Fame dedicated” →

Grundahl's "America the Beautiful" shines at inauguration

Posted on

grundahlAs he listened to the San Francisco Girls and Boys Choruses sing before the inauguration of President Obama, Augsburg music instructor Nancy Grundahl’s husband thought he was hearing his wife’s work.

“My husband heard ‘America the Beautiful’ and recognized it,” Grundahl said, “and then my publisher confirmed that it was my arrangement a few hours later.”

Grundahl, director of the Augsburg Riverside Singers, originally wrote the arrangement of “America the Beautiful” on the day after 9/11. “I needed something uplifting for my children’s choir to sing in rehearsal,” she said. The choir sang the arrangement for the rest of that season, and it was published by Alliance in 2003. Continue reading “Grundahl's "America the Beautiful" shines at inauguration” →

Beckett's "Eleuthéria" examines human existence

Posted on

eleutheriaAugsburg’s Eleuthéria by Samuel Beckett with translation by Michael Brodsky opens Jan. 30 and features the directing talents of Barbra Berlovitz, formerly with the Theatre de la Jeune Lune.

Looking for freedom, Victor Krap turns his back on his family, fiancée, and friends and moves into a room furnished with nothing but a bed. His parents and fiancée, Miss Skunk, try desperately to bring him back into the family fold and society. Written in French, Eleuthéria (which means “freedom” in Greek) is Beckett’s first completed work and was written just prior to his best-known piece Waiting for Godot. Eleuthéria is filled with irony and humor, allowing us to laugh at ourselves while examining the inescapable problems of our human existence. Continue reading “Beckett's "Eleuthéria" examines human existence” →

Getting around at the Capitol

Posted on

capitolIf you want to get in front of the state’s lawmakers, especially during the legislative session, you’ve got to know your way around the system—and around the state Capitol building. Jay Benanav has no problem with either.

Last fall Benanav was hired as Augsburg’s Director of Government Relations, a role his illustrious career helped him fill easily. “One thing that helps me is that I have some credibility. I’ve known these people for more than 20 years.”

Since he completed law school in the late 70s, Benanav has been counsel to the Minnesota Senate, was a practicing attorney, was the deputy commissioner in the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, served as president of a private insurance agency, sat on the St. Paul city council, and manages a consulting agency that helps students and families get into college and avoid unmanageable debt. Continue reading “Getting around at the Capitol” →

Watkins to speak at MLK convocation

Posted on

mlk_convoThe 21st annual Martin Luther King, Jr. convocation at Augsburg College will feature Hollis Watkins, civil rights activist and president and founder of Southern Echo, Inc. The convocation will be held in the Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center, on Monday, January 19 at 1 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

A native Mississippian from rural Lincoln County, Watkins was born the twelfth child to sharecroppers from the country. After completing high school at the Lincoln County Training School, he attended Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Miss. with a double major in political science and history. Continue reading “Watkins to speak at MLK convocation” →