Members of the Augsburg College community were featured in a range of print and broadcast media stories that had broad local, state, national and international impact. Faculty, students, and staff shared their expertise on scholarship and pedagogy, experience as Auggies, and insight on current and special events. Here are the top 15 stories from 2013.
The stories listed below – in chronological order – are only a small fraction of the many times Auggies made the news and celebrated accomplishments.
- The Augsburg-hosted Minnesota Urban Debate League was featured throughout the year in a number of stories. Read a March article in MinnPost about how the program drives student success in inner-city schools. The Star Tribune’s Gail Rosenblum also wrote about MNUDL in a March story that explored how debate fosters critical thinking skills.
- Hans Wiersma, associate professor of religion, in March spoke with WCCO-TV reporter Jason DeRusha who answers viewers’ inquiries in a Good Question segment. DeRusha asked Wiersma, “Why should non-Catholics care about the new Pope?” Watch the television segment.
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Auggies on stage at Bon Jovi. Six Augsburg College students in March and April spoke with television reporters from KARE-11, KSTP, and WCCO-TV about their participation in the Bon Jovi “Because We Can” College Community Service Challenge. The students were selected for this opportunity based upon their campus leadership and community engagement, and spoke with media before and during their time at the concert.
- When it seemed winter never would end, John Zobitz, associate professor of math, spoke in April with WCCO about math and how it relates to climate. Watch the segment.
- Michael Grewe, coordinator of LGBTQIA services, spoke with KSTP television about Gov. Mark Dayton signing into law a bill that made legal same-sex marriage.
- Augsburg College commencement in May was a time of celebration. Mary Godi ‘13, the class speaker and a native of Sudan, spoke with the Rochester Post-Bulletin about her pursuit of an education and being the first in her family to earn a college degree. Read the story.
- Auggie Kuoth Wiel ’13, spoke with the Pioneer Press for a story about balancing her studies with landing a role in a Hollywood film featuring Reese Witherspoon. Read the article.
- A unique summer camp at Augsburg College operated by Phil Adamo, associate professor of history, in July was profiled in the Star Tribune. The article explored how Medieval Minnesota offers high schoolers a glimpse into the real Middle Ages. Read the story.
- Augsburg College in July worked with Judge LaJune Thomas Lange ’75, the honorary consul for South Africa for Minnesota, to celebrate the work and life of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Nelson Mandela for his 95th birthday. See the Star Tribune article.
Mike Wentzel, assistant professor of chemistry, shared in July with the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) how he is mixing teamwork into the courseload for his advanced organic chemistry class to create an innovative classroom experience. Read more on JoVE’s website.
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- The Huffington Post in September published an opinion piece by Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow in which he discussed the necessity of educating students with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and faiths. Read Pribbenow’s comments.
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Nicolas Adducci ’15 For Nicolas Adducci ’15, studying at Augsburg College has meant finding resources to meet the challenges he faces as a student diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In the Everyday Health article, “ADHD and College Success: Nicolas’ Story,” Adducci in September talked about how the support he receives from Augsburg’s Center for Learning and Adaptive Student Services (CLASS) allows him to double major in business management and psychology, make the dean’s list, and shed much of the stigma associated with having a learning disability. Read the story.
Andy Aoki, chair of political science, in November spoke with Star Tribune columnist Gail Rosenblum last week on why voters do and do not turn out at the polls during elections. Read “Did you vote? Thanks. Here’s why you did it” in the Star Tribune. Aoki also was interviewed on turnout numbers in varying Minneapolis wards for the story “Election seems to signal the ascension of a new Minneapolis DFL” on the MinnPost website.
- Professor of Economics Jeanne Boeh, who regularly speaks with media, in December was featured on WCCO-TV to talk about the holiday shopping season, which was shortened due to Thanksgiving’s late date. Visit the WCCO website.
- Associate Professor of Religion Hans Wiersma spoke with the Christian Science Monitor in December about why Nidal Malik Hasan, the convicted shooter in the 2009 Fort Hood tragedy, requested a Bible although Hasan is a Muslim. Read the article.