Assistant Professor of English Stephan Eirik Clark spoke with MinnPost about his debut novel, Sweetness #9. In the interview, Clark told reporter Amy Goetzman that his book was 13 years in the making. He addressed the surreal experience of being given a “Colbert Bump” from television’s Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report, how truth is stranger than fiction, and provided insight into his view of the world. Clark also said that while some reviews and critics have labeled his novel “satire,” he thinks of it as an absurdist work. “It’s real and it’s absurd, and that’s pretty much how I see our world,” Clark told Goetzman. Read “Augsburg author find sweetness in light of Colbert Bump.”
NPR’s Fresh Air interviews Stephan Eirik Clark
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.”
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.
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.”
Andy Aoki answers WCCO ‘Good Question’ on ISIS
Professor Andy Aoki spoke with WCCO-TV about the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, known as ISIS, for the news station’s Good Question. Aoki, who teaches in the College’s political science department, explained to television viewers that ISIS is an extreme militant group that has been disavowed by Al Qaeda. He commented that this relatively young organization is rare, in part, because unlike most of history’s other horrific killers, this group isn’t trying to hide any of its actions. “It’s rare to find a group like this that’s not even embarrassed. Even the Nazis were denying some of the things they did. If you look at some of the most horrific killers the last 30 or 40 years, they’ve got to be in the top 5 so far,” he told viewers. Watch “Good Question: Who is ISIS.”
Nancy Steblay shares expertise on eyewitness identification
Psychology Prof. Nancy Steblay spoke with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the reliability of eyewitness identification of criminal suspects. Steblay, who is a leading national expert on eyewitness identification, told the paper that the practice of showing a witness one photo at a time is more reliable than having witnesses look at an array of photos at once. Steblay said that a sequential process, “although it’s not perfect, it’s far superior – significantly superior – to the simultaneous procedure” because the witness is forced to compare the memory of the suspect to a single photo. The end result, she said, is a more absolute judgment. Read “New Pittsburgh public safety director spars with district attorney on eyewitness IDs.”