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Augsburg honors alumni

alumni_awardsEvery year Augsburg honors alumni and friends of the College who have contributed to Augsburg or who have made significant accomplishments since their graduation. This year we honor the following:

First Decade Award – Brenda Talarico

The First Decade Award is presented to Augsburg graduates of the past 10 years who have made significant progress in their professional achievements and contributions to the community, and in so doing exemplify the mission of the College: to prepare future leaders in service to the world. Graduates from the day, weekend, and graduate programs are eligible. Continue reading “Augsburg honors alumni”

Ever Cat Fuels opens in Isanti

evercatWhat began as a student research project in a Science Hall laboratory made another step toward changing how fuel will be produced in the future when Ever Cat Fuels held a grand opening for its biodiesel plant on Monday.

The plant, located about 40 miles north of campus in Isanti, Minn., is expected to produce about 3 million gallons of biodiesel per year when it is fully operational. The plant represents the first large-scale application of the Mcgyan process of making biodiesel. Continue reading “Ever Cat Fuels opens in Isanti”

A global perspective on business

Last week Augsburg Regent Dr. Marshall Stanton shared lessons from his career with Augsburg’s graduate students and staff. Stanton, currently vice president for clinical research and reimbursement with Medtronic, has worked for the company since 1998 and spent two years in Japan managing Medtronic’s CRDM unit. His presentation was the first in the 2009-10 Executive Speaker Series.

Stanton gave an overview of Medtronic’s products, business model, and corporate priorities. Medtronic, the world’s largest medical technology company, has 38,000 employees in 120 countries. Stanton said although Medtronic has people and offices around the world, it is “evolving” as a global company. “Just because you have employees in 120 countries doesn’t mean you’re a global company,” Stanton said. Continue reading “A global perspective on business”

Studying away from Augsburg

gunderson_abroadIn her three years as an Auggie, Annika Gunderson ’11 has almost spent more time away from Augsburg than on campus. This international relations and Spanish major from Winona, Minn. has studied abroad three times, spending five weeks in Cuernavaca, Mexico, a semester in Central America, and another semester in Brazil.

Gunderson first traveled to Mexico in the summer of 2009 through Augsburg’s Center for Global Education. There, with a group of students, she studied Latin American culture and civilization. “It was a transforming experience,” she says. Continue reading “Studying away from Augsburg”

McKibben featured at Christensen Symposium

mckibben_convoIn college classes at Augsburg and across the country ,there is rarely dialogue between students and the authors of the texts that are used.

Sometimes it is because a textbook is written by a fairly anonymous author or group of authors. Other times, the back-and-forth simply isn’t possible. After all, it isn’t like having Shakespeare visit a classroom is an option.

That is what makes Bill McKibben’s visit to Augsburg so interesting. McKibben, an environmentalist and author, will speak Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Foss Chapel for the Bernhard M. Christensen Symposium.

McKibben, who writes about global warming, alternative energy, and other environmental issues, will talk about “The Most Important Number on Earth: Climate Change and Moral Challenge.”

Continue reading “McKibben featured at Christensen Symposium”

Emma Sutton checks in from Indonesia

sutton_checkinWow! I wish I could say that 3 days in everything has been perfect but unfortunately we just experienced an earthquake, a whopping 7.4. I was sitting up in my room on the 7th floor as the building started to shake and the walls cracked. I ran out into the hall and the program director was staying in the room right next to me and we took shelter in a doorway of the hall until it was over and then we ran down the stairwell, there was some girl flopping down the stairs in stiletto heels that I really wanted to run over so I could go faster. There was no major damage at the hotel or anywhere else, or at least it hasn’t been reported yet. Continue reading “Emma Sutton checks in from Indonesia”

Meeting with the mayor

mayorAfter returning from New Zealand this summer, Richmond Appleton ’09 was so enthusiastic that he wrote a letter to Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.

Appleton spent five weeks in New Zealand studying ecology, biodiversity, and climate change with a group of Augsburg students led by biology professor Brian Corner and political science professor Joe Underhill. Their group explored the unique flora and fauna of the island as well as the distinctive political culture that has made it a leader in environmental policy. Continue reading “Meeting with the mayor”

The physics of growth

nate_physicsNate Johnson didn’t take a typical path to becoming a physics major at Augsburg College.

He didn’t take Advanced Placement high school classes in science. He didn’t arrive on campus with tons of calculus experience. Nor did he arrive on campus and immediately begin taking physics courses.

“I took a grand total of one science class in high school,” Johnson said.

But because of an interest in how things work, Johnson was drawn to the problem-solving part of physics. The move has turned out well. Continue reading “The physics of growth”

Recent veterans gain big tuition benefits

militaryWhen Augsburg College officials were preparing for the launch of the new Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, the hope was that veterans who qualified for full benefits would be able to attend Augsburg For Adults classes for little or nothing.

Now they will be able to get an education for free under the legislation that went into affect on August 1.

Last week, the College received word from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that the maximum charge per credit hour had been raised for Minnesota veterans from $326.92 to $750. Continue reading “Recent veterans gain big tuition benefits”

UIC students immersed in Minnesota culture

chinaThe 12 students visiting Augsburg from United International College in Zhuhai, China, find Americans friendly and polite, and believe they exercise more in a healthier environment than found in China. And baseball games, which aren’t found in China, have been exciting.

The students, ages 19-22, arrived in Minneapolis on July 2, just in time to meet American culture at a Fourth of July picnic on Nicollet Island, complete with hot dogs, potato salad, and fireworks. The students are enrolled in an Augsburg summer session course and are participating in a program on Minnesota history and culture. Before returning home on August 7, they will complete a project about Minnesota and Augsburg that they will present in China. Continue reading “UIC students immersed in Minnesota culture”