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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

Huffington-PostIn 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.”

MPR offers readers a glimpse into Augsburg College life

Alex Friedrich, Minnesota Public Radio’s higher education reporter, visited Augsburg College’s campus to experience a day in the life of an Auggie. Friedrich spent Dec. 5 blogging about his experiences and found that Augsburg College has a wide variety of traditions and experiences to offer to its students, faculty, staff and alumni, and also to its neighboring communities, as well.

Read and watch his posts on the “On Campus” blog here:

  • The man leading a changing Augsburg – Meet President Paul C. Pribbenow and his passion for bow ties, commitment to Augsburg students, and vision for the College’s future
  • What an Augsburg apartment looks like – A peak inside Luther Hall

Michael Lansing talks with Prairie Public Broadcasting

Michael Lansing, Augsburg College associate professor and History Department chair, was featured in a video production by Prairie Public Broadcasting titled, “A.C. Townley and the Rise of the Nonpartisan League.”

In the video, Lansing discusses A.C. Townley, founder of the Nonpartisan League, and the inception of the organization. Prairie Public Broadcasting is a television station serving North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota that produces documentaries, web-series and other media, centered on local life and culture.

Watch the video on Prairie Public’s YouTube channel.

Augsburg-connected startup highlighted by MinnPost

MinnPostMinnPost news featured students and staff from Augsburg College and other local universities who collaborated on a startup organization, the Sisterhood of the Traveling Scarf, which opened a women’s clothing and accessory store.

The store — aptly named Sisterhood Boutique — is nestled in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis and features donated fashions at affordable prices.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Scarf received funding for their startup venture from several Twin Cities organizations including Fairview Health Services and the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, as well as support from Augsburg.

To read the article, visit the MinnPost news site.

Recovery Campus magazine interviews StepUP’s Patrice Salmeri

Recovery-Campus-Issue-4-CoverPatrice Salmeri, director of Augsburg College’s StepUP program, was featured in Recovery Campus magazine to discuss her role as incoming president of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education.

Salmeri, who has overseen the StepUP program since 2002, began her tenure as president of ARHE in June 2014. Taking on the new role while continuing as director of StepUP has her exactly where she wants to be in life.

“This work is my calling; I have no doubt about it,” she said. “It has been confirmed over and over again. I am exactly where I need to be right now.”

Read Salmeri’s story on the Recovery Campus website.

Lars Dyrud ’97 featured by Forbes

Lars Dyrud ’97, CEO of OmniEarth — a data analytics and imaging company — was featured by Forbes magazine for a collaboration with Ball Aerospace, a similar company.

OmniEarth partnered with Ball Aerospace to create a collection of 18 imaging satellites which are scheduled to be in space by 2018. The satellites, Dyrud said, are significantly different than earlier models.

“We’re focused on small, low-cost satellites. Something that wasn’t even conceivable 5 or 10 years ago,” he said.

To read the article, visit the Forbes site.

Herb Chilstrom ’54 pens sentimental book

547a2dfec34a1.imageHerb Chilstrom ’54 was highlighted in Arizona’s Green Valley News thanks to his newest book, “My friend Jonah and other dogs I’ve loved.”

Chilstrom, who was the first Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, captured the heart of a Green Valley News editor – Dan Sheare – after he reviewed the book for the news site. The book, Sheare said, “…relates stories that provide plenty of evidence that dogs can be great teachers — if you’re paying attention.”

Read “From the editor: Good for the soul” on the Green Valley news site.

Star Tribune features Augsburg professor, winner of Tekne award

Minneapolis Star TribuneRod Greder, Augsburg College business instructor and founder of Awear Technologies, was mentioned in the Twin Cities Star Tribune after Awear was named one of 12 companies to receive recognition at the 15th annual Tekne Awards.

The yearly award ceremony, held by the Minnesota High Technology Association, honors individuals and companies that have made significant advancements in technology.

Greder’s company, with help from the University of Minnesota and other partners, develops specialized eyewear for students with learning disabilities.

To read the article,visit the Star Tribune news site.

To learn more about Awear Technologies and other award recipients, visit the Tekne Awards site.