“Companies need responsive, innovative thinkers and problem-solvers,” wrote Dave Conrad, Augsburg College’s assistant director of the Rochester MBA program, in his latest column for the Rochester Post-Bulletin. A problem exists, though, that companies often do not invest in the training and development of their employees, which leads to an under-engaged workforce. Read Conrad’s column, “The best managers develop their employees” to learn why staff development is crucial for business success.
Augsburg earns dual national community service honors
Augsburg was the only Minnesota college or university named a finalist on the Corporation for National and Community Service’s 2014 Interfaith Community Service Honor Roll as well as on the Corporation’s General Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction.
Augsburg is one of only four colleges nationwide to be named a finalist in the interfaith category, an honor that recognizes institutions of higher education that support exemplary community service programs and raise the visibility of effective practices in campus community partnerships.
There are four categories for the honor roll: general community service, interfaith community service, economic opportunity, and education. Only four higher education institutions are named recipients of the general President’s Award — a distinction Augsburg held in 2010 — and 16 other schools are named finalists, four in each category.
The Honor Roll recognizes more than 750 colleges and universities for exemplary, innovative, and effective community service programs. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.
The interfaith community service category recognized Augsburg for its institution-wide shift toward greater interfaith cooperation and interfaith service. Three project examples connected with this effort include the College’s collaboration with the Interfaith Youth Corps, a group devoted to building the interfaith movement on college campuses; the work of the Augsburg College Interfaith Scholars, of group of Augsburg students who are interested in exploring the religious diversity of the College’s student body, the wider Twin Cities community, and the United States through interreligious dialogue; and an Inclusiveness Reading Circle, a group that supported interfaith intergroup dialogue.
Find additional information on eligibility and the full list of Honor Roll awardees at nationalservice.gov/HonorRoll.
Christine Dawson ’13 MSW shines as coordinator for HeroCare
Christine Dawson ’13 MSW was featured on the cover of the Regions Hospital Foundation Newsletter for her outstanding work with the HeroCare Program for veterans at Regions Hospital. Dawson, who is herself a veteran, coordinates services and advocates for patients in Regions Hospital’s mental health programs. Read about Dawson’s role on the Regions Hospital website.
Learn more about Dawson’s experiences as an Augsburg student by reading “Launching a new mission,” an article from the fall 2013 Augsburg Now alumni magazine.
Harry Boyte discusses public work on Huffington Post
In his recent article for The Huffington Post, Harry Boyte — Augsburg’s Sabo Senior Fellow — discusses the role Augsburg College and other universities can play in helping students address problems, meet challenges, and build a more democratic society using the public work approach. Read the article, Colleges as Agents of Change — The Public Work Approach, to learn more about Augsburg’s “down-to-earth quality wedding liberal arts education to career training grounded in practical experience.”
Harry Boyte publishes commentary on Huffington Post
John Zobitz discusses weather patterns with International Business Times
Associate Professor of Mathematics and environmental science researcher John Zobitz helped to answer the question posed by many in the wake of a recent record-setting snowfall in the Buffalo, N.Y., area — Why is it so cold and snowy in November?
The reason is global warming, according to Zobitz and other scientists studying the Earth’s climate. Changes in the overall temperature of the planet have affected the jet stream, thereby causing unusual weather. “Yes, the globe is warming in temperature, but that means some places are warm a lot more, and some places are sometimes colder,” Zobitz said. “We happen to be on the cold side of that right now, and no matter how you want to slice and dice it, that’s the reality.”
Read more about how changes in the Earth’s temperature influence weather patterns on the International Business Times website.
Dave Conrad: The most important leadership skills
A number of leadership skills are important, but which one is truly key? That’s hard to say, according to a new column by Dave Conrad in the Rochester Post-Bulletin. Conrad, Augsburg College’s assistant director of the Rochester MBA program, notes that leadership skills vary in relevance depending on individuals’ roles within the workforce. To learn why conceptual, relationship-building, and technical skills each play an important role, read “The most important leadership skills” on the Post-Bulletin website.
Pioneer Press deems Howling Bird ‘ready to take off’
Howling Bird, a student-run press at Augsburg College, is Minnesota’s newest small publisher. Howling Bird will take flight December 1 with the announcement of the winner of the press’ first National Poetry Prize, according to the Pioneer Press.
The honored poet will receive $1,000 and publication by Howling Bird in a trade paperback. That book will be guided through the publication process, from editing and design to marketing and distribution, by three students in the newly established publishing concentration in Augsburg’s low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. To learn more about the MFA program and its students, read “Augsburg’s Howling Bird press ready to take off” on the Pioneer Press website.
Dave Conrad: Learn what stress is trying to tell you
Stress has been called the “health epidemic of the 21st century” by the World Health Organization, and Dave Conrad offers suggestions for dealing with stress in his latest column for the Rochester Post-Bulletin. Conrad, Augsburg College’s assistant director of the Rochester MBA program, notes that finding ways to alleviate stress can be as beneficial for employers as it is for employees. Read, “Learn what stress is trying to tell you” on the Post-Bulletin website.
Star Tribune features Midnimo partnership
The Cedar Cultural Center will host a free concert by Taleex Band on October 31 as part of the Midnimo series, a two-year partnership with Augsburg College to build cross-cultural awareness, knowledge, and understanding of Somali culture through music. The Star Tribune recently promoted the show and Midnimo programming in the article, “Twin Cities band Taleex raises voices for Somali pride.” As noted in the article, the Taleex performance also will include sets by non-Somali groups. Bob’s Band, a brass jazz group led by long-time Augsburg College Music Department faculty member Bob Stacke ’71 and comprised of several Augsburg alumni and current students, will augment Taleex Band’s sets.