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David Lapakko appears on AM 950 radio

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David Lapakko, associate professor of communication studies, was interviewed on AM 950 radio on January 9. He discussed his competitive success at the Great American Think-Off, an annual exhibition of civil disagreement and argumentation.

Lapakko was crowned “America’s Greatest Thinker” at the 23rd Great American Think-Off held in New York Mills, Minnesota, in June 2015. The debate question was, “Does Technology Free Us or Trap Us?” and Lapakko argued for the liberating qualities of technology as he took home the prize.

Star Tribune explores forgiveness with Dean Seal

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Minneapolis Star Tribune - logoThe Minneapolis Star Tribune recently published an article covering “Exploring Forgiveness,” a 26-minute program produced for Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) by Dean Seal, instructor of religion at Augsburg College and pastor at Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska, Minn. The article reflects on the many sources of conflict and injustice that sprang up in the past year and states that Seal’s focus on the power of forgiveness is a “welcome reminder that we can look forward to 2016, where, perhaps, we’ll find our better selves.”

The program aired twice on TPT and features an interview with Augsburg College alumna Amineh Safi ’14 who provides insights into the Islamic view of forgiveness.

Read: A Minnesotan’s ode to forgiveness at the end of a difficult year on the Star Tribune site. Watch: “Exploring Forgiveness” on the TPT site.

Andy Aoki appears on KSTP’s Political Insider program

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Screen Shot 2015-02-06 at 1.39.40 PMThis month, Andy Aoki, department chair of political science and Sabo fellow at Augsburg College, appeared on Political Insider, a weekly news segment on KSTP. Aoki joined Joe Pescek, a Hamline Univeristy faculty member, and provided input on a variety of local and national political stories including Gov. Mark Dayton’s request for a special legislative session.

Watch: Political Insider: US Presidential Campaign, Infrastructure and Economy in Minn. on the KSTP site.

The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead recommends Michael Lansing’s book

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TheForumOfFargoMoorheadTitleThe Forum of Fargo-Moorhead recently recommended “Insurgent Democracy: The Nonpartisan League in North American Politics” by Michael Lansing, associate professor of history at Augsburg College, as a holiday gift with regional ties.

The book details the history of the Nonpartisan League, a political movement active in North Dakota, neighboring states, and some Canadian provinces in the early 1900s.

Read: Consider these new books with regional ties for Christmas gift-giving on the Forum site.

 

Michael Lansing interviewed by Prairie Public Broadcasting

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Prairie Public Television logoMichael Lansing, associate professor of history at Augsburg College, recently was interviewed on Prairie Pulse, a program on Prairie Public Television. Lansing is the author of “Insurgent Democracy: The Nonpartisan League in North American Politics,” which examines both the history of the Nonpartisan League and its lasting effects on politics and community organizing. In the 25-minute interview, Lansing speaks about the genesis of the book, his research process, women’s involvement in the League, and many other topics.

Watch: Prairie Pulse 1308: Michael Lansing on Prairie Public Broadcasting’s YouTube channel.

Pioneer Press notes Phillip Adamo’s Professor of the Year award

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PioneerPressThe St. Paul Pioneer Press included Phillip Adamo, associate professor of history at Augsburg College, in its coverage of recent education news. Adamo was named the 2015 Minnesota Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. More information about Adamo and the award is available on Augsburg’s News and Media blog.

Read: Education notes: News from schools near you on the Pioneer Press site.

 

Audrey Lensmire and Salah Ali contribute to MinnPost article on Somali-Americans choosing careers in education

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MinnPostAudrey Lensmire, director of Augsburg College’s East African Student to Teacher (EAST) program, and program participant Salah Ali ’17 were interviewed by MinnPost for a report on Minnesota’s growing number of Somali-Americans working toward careers in education. The article notes that the number of Somalis resettling in the state has more than tripled in recent years, which has caused an influx of Somali students and created a need for teachers, counselors, and socials workers with a deep understanding of Somali culture.

The EAST program is funded by the state’s Collaborative Urban Educator program and seeks to graduate and license K-12 teachers of East African origin. In the article, Lensmire is quoted as saying, “Typically, becoming a professional teacher has been available only to people who have money and the means to get the license.” The EAST program offers financial assistance by providing students with full tuition scholarships as they seek licensure.

Augsburg’s program is one of several made possible by the CUE program. In the article, Ali notes that he knows many Somali students in similar programs at Hamline University and the University of Minnesota. “A lot of us are in the education field right now. Many are doing social studies and ESL programs and counseling licenses,” he said.

Read: More young Somali-Americans are choosing careers in education on the MinnPost site.

Melissa Hensley notes in Star Tribune how Habitat for Humanity homes shape lives

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Minneapolis Star TribuneMelissa Hensley, assistant professor of social work at Augsburg College, was quoted in a Star Tribune article about the substantial benefits that Habitat for Humanity homes provide to families who move into them. The article reports on the exceptionally positive findings in a newly released study by Wilder Research of more than 400 families. The improvements in the families’ lives include higher income, less reliance on government social programs, an increased sense of security, and better childhood performance in school.

In the article, Hensley states that the Habitat model, in which participants help construct their new homes, provides a sense of pride and cooperation that has ripple effects throughout the families’ lives. “Most individuals want to be engaged in a constructive activity,” she said. “This is something people feel they’re a part of and can be proud of.” She goes on to note that by “Enabling them to move into a place where they have stability and safety, they can blossom.”

Read: Habitat for Humanity dramatically improves families’ lives, study finds on the Star Tribune site.

Augsburg College project named recipient of Alice Smith Prize

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(SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA) — Augsburg College History Department faculty members Kirsten Delegard and Michael Lansing were presented the Alice Smith Prize for best public history project completed in the previous calendar year by the Midwestern History Association.

The Historyapolis Project (historyapolis.com and facebook.com/TheHistoryapolisProject) was created when Delegard, a current scholar-in-residence at Augsburg College, realized that her hometown of Minneapolis was blind to its own tumultuous history, more comfortable planning for the future than confronting the past. Augsburg students are deeply involved with the project, which aims to make the city’s history accessible and helps catalyze community dialogue around challenging aspects of local history.

Delegard holds a doctorate in history from Duke University and is the author of “Battling Miss Bolsheviki: The Origins of Female Conservatism in the United States” (Penn, 2012).  Delegard was also the co-editor, with Nancy A. Hewitt, for the two-volume textbook “Women, Families and Communities: Readings in American History“ (Longman Publishing, 2008). As part of the Historyapolis Project, Delegard is at work on a new history of Minneapolis, which is tentatively titled “City of Light and Darkness: The Making of a Progressive Metropolis in Minneapolis.”

Continue reading “Augsburg College project named recipient of Alice Smith Prize” →

Scott Washburn is interviewed by MinnPost

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MinnPostScott Washburn, assistant director of Augsburg College’s StepUP® program and a licensed alcohol and drug counselor, was one of three experts interviewed by MinnPost in an article examining the impact of Minnesota’s legalization of medical marijuana on teens’ views of the drug. Citing multiple studies, the article explains that there is growing concern that recent legalization of the drug will result in a lower perceived risk, which could result in increased teen use.

In the article, Washburn agrees that there is a correlation between the perceived risks associated with using a substance and actual use of it. He references an ongoing University of Michigan study that tracks high school students’ views and habits regarding a variety of substances. In looking at their data on tobacco and marijuana use, he says, “What’s noteworthy is that in 2010, those two lines crossed. Tobacco use started to decline in 1998 continuing up to 2014. But marijuana use continued to go up and eventually was higher than tobacco use.” Washburn attributes this reversal to our culture’s “significant shift in attitude about marijuana use.”

Washburn then outlines his approach to unraveling what teens and students sometimes see as mixed messages, that the drug is medically beneficial while being potentially addictive and harmful. “I tell my students that just because a drug can harm you doesn’t also mean that it can’t help you,” he says in the article. He adds that, “Vicodin and Oxycodone are legal drugs, but just because they are prescribed by physicians for valid reasons doesn’t mean that they can’t be harmful and dangerous when used incorrectly.”

Read: ‘It’s just pot’: Does legalization of medical marijuana change teens’ attitudes about it? on the MinnPost site.