Stephan Eirik Clark spoke with Terry Gross of NPR’s Fresh Air. In the extended interview, Clark, who is an assistant professor of English and advisor in the Master of Fine Arts program, talked about the inspiration for his debut novel, Sweetness #9. Clark spoke about his main character, David Leveraux; his goal of writing a family drama; the challenge of writing conversation for a character who refused to use verbs when speaking; and more. Listen to ” ‘Sweetness #9’ satirizes food wars and artificial America.”
Augsburg recognized among top LGBT-friendly campuses in nation
Augsburg College was recognized by Twin Cities Daily Planet for being named among the top 50 most LGBT-friendly campuses in the nation by 2014 CampusPride. Stephanie Weiss, news and media services director, told reporter Cirien Saadah that while Augsburg is grateful for such recognition, the credit belongs to students for leading boldly as individuals and groups. Read “Minnesota schools make ‘most LGBT-friendly” list.
Auggies featured in German newspaper
Three Auggies were featured in a story in the Augsburger Allegmeine’s series “We are all Augsburger.” Natalya Brown, Kayla Feuchtmann, and Jens Pinther shared photos of themselves on campus, their areas of study, and comments about Augsburg College’s namesake with the German newspaper’s Nicole Prestle. See the story on the Augsburger Allegmeine website. Click on the photo in the story to go to a gallery of photos of the three students.
Rod Greder talks with Star Tribune about content marketing
Instructor Rod Greder spoke with the Star Tribune’s Neal St. Anthony for a business section story about content marketing, or the practice of promoting sales through storytelling. Greder, who is an instructor in the Business-MIS program, told St. Anthony that content marketing is growing in its use and sophistication. “The basic concept is not new but evolving with technology to work better with search engines,” Greder said in the article which also was picked up by Bloomberg News. “It is being used most to generate leads and initiate conversations with prospects and then used for conversion to customer as the prospect views the company as a credible, knowledgeable source on the topic. Content often is sent to the prospect [via e-mail] and then the [customer] develops enough trust to sample the company’s product or service.” Read “Marketing trends: Selling by storytelling.”
Star Tribune reviews ‘Sweetness #9’ by Stephan Eirik Clark
Stephan Eirik Clark’s debut novel, Sweetness #9, was described as a “lively and funny debut novel” by Mark Athitakis in a Star Tribune book review. Athitakis went on to say that while the book’s premise is esoteric, Clark convincingly argues that food may be the last truly mass culture we have. Clark is an assistant professor in the English department and a member of the faculty for the Master of Fine Arts program. Read “Review: ‘Sweetness #9,’ by Stephan Eirik Clark.”
Augsburg College receives grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation
The nonprofit Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation has awarded Augsburg College $150,000 to fund paid internships during the 2014-15 school year.
As one of 10 Minnesota colleges to receive a grant award from Great Lakes, Augsburg will use newly available funds to convert previously unpaid internships into paid placements that support learning on and off campus.
The grant award garnered media coverage in the Star Tribune article, “Giving beat: Great Lakes Higher Ed gives $5.2 million for internship grants,” and the Inside Philanthropy story, “Graduating Is Not Enough: How This Funder Is Backing Student Career Readiness.”
Andy Aoki talks with KARE 11 about police force diversity
Political Science Prof. Andy Aoki spoke with KARE 11 about the importance of creating diverse police departments in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The story, which took a look at local police departments, was being explored in light of recent clashes between the public and police in Ferguson, Missouri. Aoki said one way to help quell tensions is by developing a more diverse force. “Bringing in a more diverse force, I think, is one of the best steps,” Aoki told KARE 11’s Adrienne Broaddus. “There is a real problem if you don’t have people who understand communities that see things from very different points of view. Even if they are well intended, you can have misunderstandings.” Watch the interview on “Ferguson fallout: Looking at local police diversity.” Aoki is featured in the video in the middle of the page.
Augsburg named among most LGBT-friendly colleges in U.S.
Augsburg College was named to Campus Pride’s 2014 list of the Top 50 LGBT-Friendly Colleges. Campus Pride, a nonprofit organization aimed at creating more LGBT-friendly colleges, compiled the list from schools that achieved the highest ratings in categories such as LGBT academic life, LGBT student life, LGBT housing, and more. The accolade was featured by The Washington Blade, The Huffington Post, and Advocate.
In 2013, Campus Pride awarded Augsburg College a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars on its LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index.
‘Sweetness #9’ garners attention of The Huffington Post, USA Today
“Sweetness #9,” the debut novel by Stephan Eirik Clark, Augsburg College assistant professor, continues to gain attention in advance of its August 19 release. The Huffington Post featured the novel in its weekly book review section, What We’re Talking About.
USA Today also published an overview of the book that included comments from Clark. He describes the inspiration behind “Sweetness #9” and the book’s mention on The Colbert Report — a television show that catalyzed the novel’s rapid rise on bestseller lists. Read, “The Book We’re Talking About: ‘Sweetness #9’ By Stephan Eirik Clark” on The Huffington Post and “New Voices: Stephan Eirik Clark and ‘Sweetness #9’” on USA Today.
Mpls. St. Paul Magazine talks with Jenny Kluznik
Augsburg alumna Jenny Kluznik ’13 MPA, a graduate of the physician’s assistant program, spoke with Mpls. St. Paul Magazine about her decision to return to college so she could join the fast-growing PA field. Kluznik, now an assistant professor in the program, talks about her decision to become a PA, why she picked Augsburg College, and shares advice for those considering going back to school. The profile of Kluznik was part of a longer story that explored education needs behind some of Minnesota’s fastest-growing careers. Read “Jenny Kluznik, 33.”