Harry Boyte, senior scholar of public work philosophy at Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship, co-wrote an article that was published in Time magazine. Boyte’s piece, “The Democrats Need to Sing a New Tune to Beat Trump,” offered an analysis of the 2020 United States presidential race and suggested that a compelling campaign would appeal to Americans as engaged citizens rather than disgruntled consumers: “Want to win the presidency and extend democracy’s longest-running show? Emphasize a citizenship message for the government to be a partner, not a savior.”

Read the full article at Time magazine’s website.

The Chronicle of Higher Education highlighted Augsburg University as one of the colleges that met its enrollment goals this year by “paying attention to the changing diversity of Minnesota’s population and recruiting a correspondingly diverse student body.”

“We wanted to enroll an intentionally diverse mix of students in part because we thought that it would offer a richer academic experience for all students,” said Augsburg’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer Karen Kaivola, in the article.

Augsburg’s current first-year class is the largest and most diverse ever. For the past three years, more than half of Augsburg’s incoming class have been students of color. The article notes Augsburg’s efforts to recruit minorities, such as working with organizations like Act Six, College Possible, and the recent hiring of a “chief inclusion officer” to help navigate conversations on campus about race and diversity.

Read the full article at The Chronicle of Higher Education website.

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Augsburg University’s Largest, Most Diverse First-Year Class Serves Community on First Day of School

Augsburg History Professor Bill Green is the winner of the 2020 Hognander Minnesota History Award for his book “The Children of Lincoln: White Paternalism and the Limits of Black Opportunity in Minnesota, 1860-1876”. The book reveals a pattern of racial paternalism in Minnesota after Emancipation.

According to the Pioneer Press, Hognander Award judges said Green’s book was chosen “based on its significance to Minnesota’s history, and its contribution to the broader panorama of race relations and the context of Reconstruction in American history.”

Green, a former Minneapolis Public Schools superintendent, is a second-time winner of this award. In 2016, he was awarded for his book “Degrees of Freedom: The Origins of Civil Rights in Minnesota, 1865-1912.

Read the full article at the Pioneer Press website.

Augsburg Psychology Professor Nancy Steblay was quoted in a Star Tribune article about a bill for stronger eyewitness ID practices in Minnesota. Steblay is a leader in the research of eyewitness identification in the United States. Star Tribune reported that in recent years, a growing body of research has driven federal law enforcement agencies to change their practices on what makes a sound eyewitness identification.

“The bill represents a consensus of what makes sound science among experts in the field, vetted by the National Academy of Sciences. The rules are also practical for law enforcement to implement” Steblay told the Star Tribune. “The combination of good science and a practice that works makes these very powerful recommendations”.

Read the full article at the Star Tribune website.

Augsburg’s Professor of Economics Jeanne Boeh talks to WCCO about the economic impact of the Coronavirus outbreak in China.

Parts of Apple’s products are made in China, where many of the employees aren’t at work because of the outbreak, and that pushes back the production schedule.

“Companies are already ramping up for next Christmas. And some of those prototypes and those kinds of things happen in China right now, and so if those don’t happen, that pushes back the schedule all the way until next Christmas,” Boeh told WCCO. “Many workers in China are going without a paycheck right now, which will affect how much money they spend.”

See the full report on WCCO’s website.

Augsburg University honored the calling of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 20 by hosting the 32nd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation.

The presentation “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” was presented by this year’s speaker, John S. Wright, Professor Emeritus of English and African American and African Studies at the University of Minnesota. Wright helped lead the student movement that founded the University of Minnesota’s Department of African American and African Studies, which he chaired for three terms, and its Martin Luther King, Jr. Program, which he administered from 1970-1973. He also built a major in Afro-American and African Studies at Carleton College, where he taught from 1973-1983. The convocation, open to the public, included student performances.

The Star Tribune reported that the Cedar Cultural Center is partnering with Augsburg University and KFAI on January 11 to raise money for the victims of the tragic November 27 fire in one of the nearby apartment towers. Augsburg duo Tatum Mildred and Tessa Waite are part of the lineup of performers.

Read the Star Tribune article.