bing pixel
  1. Home
  2. Category: Relationship

Star Tribune reports on Augsburg College’s participation in
Ripken Foundation field day

Posted on

Minneapolis Star TribuneThe Star Tribune recently published an article covering a field day held in north Minneapolis by the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation in partnership with Minneapolis Jeep Dealers. The event paired roughly 50 young athletes with coaches and players from Augsburg College’s baseball team as well as athletes from the University of Minnesota. Minnesota Twins mascot TC Bear also participated, at one point serving as a soccer goalie.

According to the article, the Maryland-based Ripken Foundation develops youth programs and partners with cities to create parks in distressed communities. Augsburg baseball head coach Keith Bateman is quoted as saying of the young participants in the multi-sport event, “They might not remember some of the stuff we say, but hopefully they remember when they think back [and say] man, I really had a good time. I want to do that when I get older.”

Read: Ripken Foundation brings together college athletes, local kids for field day on the Star Tribune site.

Michael Lansing book signing announced

Posted on

Pioneer Public Television and the Chippewa County Historical Society have announced that they will co-sponsor a reading, book signing, and discussion with Michael J. Lansing, associate professor of history at Augsburg College. Lansing will read from his new book “Insurgent Democracy: The Nonpartisan League in North American Politics.”

According to the announcement, Lansing’s book gives a historical account of the Nonpartisan League, a political movement active from 1915 to 1920 as a means of limiting corporate influence in politics in favor of an empowered citizenship. Lansing argues that the League’s success and collapse offer valuable lessons that are applicable to popular movements in modern politics.

The event will take place on November 19 at the Montevideo Chippewa County Public Library.

Lakeshore Weekly News covers Excellence in Coaching Award presented to Brad Anderson ’88

Posted on

Minnetonka’s Lakeshore Weekly News recently published an article detailing the accomplishments of Augsburg Excellence in Coaching Award winner Brad Anderson ’88. Anderson received the honor in recognition of his outstanding success as a high school football coach in Wayzata, where he has been the head coach for 17 seasons. The article states that Anderson has a .802 winning percentage with a record of 150-37. Four of his former players have gone on to careers in the NFL, according to the article.

Read: Wayzata’s Coach Anderson receives Augsburg Excellence in Coaching Award on Lakeshore Weekly News.

Rachel Kruzel discusses how technology helps students with disabilities at Augsburg

Posted on

Rachel Kruzel, head of the Augsburg College CLASS Office’s Groves Technology Lab, recently wrote an article for HigherEd Tech Decisions that discusses how Augsburg is embracing technologies that help students with learning disabilities. In the article, “How Augsburg College Helps Students Disabilities Take Better Notes with Technology,” Kruzel states that Augsburg has begun offering a software package that helps students record and organize audio of their lectures in lieu of traditional written notes, which can be difficult for students with dyslexia or ADHD.

Kruzel shares that about 5 percent of students at Augsburg have some type of learning disability. She hopes that this technology will help students perform at a level that more accurately reflects their capacity.

“These students’ level of intelligence may be above average, but because they struggle with the traditional college notetaking format, they may fail to reach their potential,” she writes.

MinnPost interviews Lars Christiansen on city planning

Posted on

MinnPostMinnPost recently included an interview with Lars Christiansen, associate professor of sociology at Augsburg College, in an article examining the importance of civic engagement in city planning. The article cites ongoing controversies such as the proposed soccer stadium in St. Paul as indicative of a problematic lack of both transparency and residential participation in public processes. Earlier this year, Christiansen published an article in the Journal of Education Planning and Research detailing his study of the St. Paul Friendly Streets Initiative and its public process for a bike lane project.

Moving beyond public processes that merely pay lip service to community inclusion takes time, according to Christiansen. The MinnPost article quotes him as saying, “The community organizing approach to public engagement [that I prefer] takes a lot longer. Like any other community organizing, it involves trust building, relationship building, and lengthy listening. It’s really aiming for co-creation.”

In the article, Christiansen stresses that one important aspect of processes that successfully engage the public in city planning projects is timing. The earlier that planners can involve the public and establish communication with them about a project, the more likely it is that their involvement and communication will see a project through to completion. “The holy grail is the notion of inclusion. How do you do it for the whole duration of the project?” Christiansen says in the article.

Read: While we’re talking parking meters and a stadium, what is ‘public process’ anyway? on the MinnPost site.

Augsburg College global education program touted for excellence in serving students of diverse backgrounds

Posted on

An article published by the Association of American Colleges & Universities commented on the successes Augsburg College’s Center for Global Education and Experience has had in serving students of diverse backgrounds as they travel to locations around the globe. The article, titled “Global Learning: Key to Making Excellence Inclusive,” described why global experiences are recognized as an essential dimension of a liberal education and how a variety of institutions support increased student participation.

In particular, the article noted that Augsburg maintains permanent centers for global learning in Mexico, Nicaragua, and Namibia. The centers have deep-rooted connections to local communities, and staff members understand the diverse needs of the Augsburg students.

“For example, Augsburg has arranged culturally appropriate homestay placements for single parents who needed assistance with childcare, safe home environments for LGBTQ students, sober homestays for students in recovery (in addition to connecting students in Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous programs with sponsors), and access to mosques for Muslim students. This commitment to creating environments for student success is a hallmark of Augsburg’s study abroad programs,” the article said.

Visit the AAC&U website to read the story in its entirety.

Star Tribune features skating coach Andy Ness ’01

Posted on

Minneapolis Star TribuneThe Star Tribune recently published an article highlighting ice skating coach Diane Ness and her son, former Augsburg hockey player Andy Ness ’01, for their involvement with the Minnesota Wild. The article states that Diane and her company ProEdge Power were recently hired by the Wild as consultants, though some of the players have been training privately with the Nesses for years. The article quotes the Wild’s Chris Porter as saying, “They’re both incredible.”

The article states that Andy grew up surrounded by skating and hockey. “My babysitter growing up was the rink,” he said in the article. That background has paid off. Porter is quoted saying that Diane often tells the players to “‘Watch Andy,’ because he’s such a phenomenal skater.” Now, Andy spends the NHL season working with injured Wild players until they regain enough strength to practice and play with the team.

Read “Skating coaches Diane, Andy Ness push Wild, NHL stars to improve” on the Star Tribune website.

MinnPost examines Urban Scrubs Camp

Posted on

MinnPostMinnPost recently published a detailed look at the 2015 Urban Scrubs Camp, a hands-on learning experience for high school students interested in medical careers that was held at Augsburg College and Saint Paul College in July. The event was supported by the Central Corridor Anchor Partnership, an organization that connects colleges and hospitals located in the Central Corridor area between Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The article states that 76 students from a wide range of backgrounds attended the event at Augsburg where they learned about emergency services, toxicology, behavioral therapy, and other medical disciplines.

The event is designed to give high school students first-hand understanding of college life and medical careers. MinnPost quotes Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow as saying,  “We want to give them a glimpse of what these careers look like, and something of a college experience that makes the possibility seem more real to them.”

In particular, Augsburg and its partners at the University of Minnesota Medical Center – Fairview focus on the many Somali students who live nearby with help from community organizations such as the the African Development Center and the West Bank Community Coalition.

Read “How innovative programs are opening pathways to good health-care jobs for inner-city youth” on the MinnPost website.

Scot Davis ’74 Hall of Fame induction reported by Owatonna People’s Press

Posted on

Todd Hale recently wrote about the impressive wrestling and coaching career of 2015 Augsburg Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Scot Davis ’74 in an article for the Owatonna (Minnesota) People’s Press. During the three years between 1971-74 that Davis wrestled for Augsburg, the team had a record of 49-4-1 and each year the team was ranked in the Top 10 teams nationally. Davis went on to be the head wrestling coach for the Owatonna High School. He now holds the national record for career wins as a high school coach with 1,046.

Hale also pointed out that Davis coached 2011 Augsburg Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Matthew Kretlow ’91 during his time in Owatonna.