This section of the News and Media Services department site tracks stories in print and broadcast media that feature Auggie faculty, students, and staff. The area also is home to material developed for University-related programs, events, and more.
Ngugi wa Thiong’o, the renowned Kenyan novelist, playwright, and essayist, and author of Augsburg’s Many Voices text, The River Between, will speak at Augsburg on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. in Hoversten Chapel.
He will be on campus to give a public lecture and do a reading from his sprawling latest novel, The Wizard of the Crow.
Ngugi has sustained prolific productivity for decades with some 25 books to his name, and at least six distinguished literary awards for his work. In his essays, Ngugi has confronted with remarkable stamina, persistence, and consistency the somewhat intractable question of the role of language in cultural imperialism. He continues efforts to empower the languages of formerly colonized nations in his important role as director of the International Center for Writing and Translation at the University of California, Irvine. Continue reading “Ngugi speaks at Augsburg”→
Augsburg’s strong Norwegian heritage shows, especially during the holiday season. Once again, it is almost time for the traditional Scandinavian Velkommen Jul celebration hosted by the Augsburg Associates on Nov. 30, starting with Chapel service at 10:20 a.m. and moving to the Christensen Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Velkommen Jul is translated as “Escorting in the Season,” and it is an annual Christmas celebration you don’t want to miss. The event will feature Scandinavian Yuletide music, many tasty treats, handcrafted items, Norwegian bunads, and a visit from St. Nicholas during chapel.
The Augsburg College Associates, who number around 100, are a service auxiliary of volunteers whose mission includes fundraising for special projects and scholarships in support of Augsburg college. In the nearly 20 years since their founding, the Associates have given to Augsburg more than a half million dollars from their fundraising. They host Velkommen Jul as a service to the Augsburg community and as a way to celebrate its Norwegian heritage.
Silje Bjelland, a current Augsburg student from Norway, remembers all the different preparations they make back home that lead up to Christmas Eve. “We have an Advent calendar to mark the days,” she recalls. “For each day, you open another door in the calendar and some like to have little present or a chocolate there.”
“We also start baking cakes and cookies, which should be seven different types,” Silje explains. “They are cookies such as ‘kvite kakemenn,’ ‘pepperkaker,’ and ‘lussekatter’ to share with friends and neighbors. ‘Julekake,’ a popular Christmas bread filled with raisins and candied fruit, is also baked at Christmas.”
Despite starting their Christmas preparations with Advent, Silje says that some of the fun is saved for the very end. “Many families, as a tradition, decorate their Christmas tree on Dec. 23, which is the ‘little Christmas Eve,'” she says. “Christmas Eve is the big day, where the families gather for Christmas dinner in the evening, and after the dinner, we open presents.”
The Augsburg fall sports season has come to an end, with several teams showing strong improvement in both overall records and individual accomplishments.
The Auggie football team, under third-year head coach Frank Haege, finished 5-5 overall (3-5 MIAC), marking the first time Augsburg had reached the .500 mark since 2003 (5-5 overall, 4-4 MIAC). With its five victories this season, Augsburg also eclipsed its number of wins from the previous three seasons combined (4-26). Along the way, the Auggies claimed several huge victories, including a 14-13 triumph at No. 10-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) on Oct. 6, and a 44-38 win over Gustavus on Oct. 27, breaking a nine-game losing streak to the Gusties. Continue reading “Auggie fall sports wrap-up”→
The Theatre Arts Department presents two shows back-to-back over the weekend of Nov. 16.
The Bald Soprano, by Eugene Ionesco , is a “strikingly original, zany, savage satire of English language and society.” In it, two married couples, a maid, and a fire chief view — through funhouse mirror lenses — this epic slapstick joke we call life. The production is directed by Augsburg senior Cole Walsh.
The Bald Soprano will perform at 7 p.m. on the Nov. 16 and 17, and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 18 in the Foss Studio Theater.
Force/Matter is a work-in-progress, co‑created by Shawn McConneloug and Kira Obolensky with the support of The Playwrights’ Center’s New Plays on Campus Program. The program puts the best new plays in America into the hands of college and university theaters and connects today’s students and faculty with living playwrights and the professional playwriting world. Continue reading “Two productions — this weekend only”→
The campus community mourns the death of one of Augsburg’s music giants, composer and conductor Leland Sateren ‘35, who died on Saturday, Nov. 10, at the age of 94.
His work includes more than 400 choral pieces he composed, which are sung in churches around the county. Sateren was passionate about Scandinavian choral music and introduced the work of many Scandinavian composers to American choral directors.
Sateren graduated from Augsburg in 1935, and for the next 10 years, he attended graduate school at the University of Minnesota, was music director at the university’s KUOM radio station, and served in public service during World War II. In 1946, he returned to Augsburg; 4 years later, he became chair of the Music Department and director of the Augsburg Choir, which he led until his retirement in 1979. Continue reading “Augsburg mourns Leland Sateren”→
For over a quarter century, Augsburg College has observed the beginning of the Christmas season with Advent Vespers, a joyous celebration of the holidays. On Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1 the College will mark this 28th annual event with services highlighting the theme “That All May Have Light.”
This event takes place in the remarkable neo-Gothic sanctuary of Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, with a ceiling that soars 65 feet and large stained glass windows similar to those of London’s Westminster Abbey. More than 350 musicians, liturgists and banner carriers will participate in this dramatic and uplifting event. Continue reading “Advent Vespers and Velkommen Jul”→
Since 1999, Augsburg Students from the Health and Physical Education Department (HPE) hold an annual one-day event for children with disabilities called “Sports Extravaganza.” Children with both mental and physical disabilities get the unique chance to use Augsburg’s dome to participate in activities and games, including: parachute, cage ball, soccer, beach ball volleyball, relay races jump rope, and dance.
Augsburg students in the HPE 254 (Introduction to Development and Adapted Physical Education) class both organize and participate with elementary children in Grades 3-6 from Minneapolis, St. Paul, and other nearby suburban schools. In this way, Augsburg students give back to their community, gain valuable experience working with children with disabilities, and everyone has fun in the process. Not only do the HPE students teach and interact with these young children, they also share encouraging messages and cheer the children to do their best. Continue reading “Augsburg Welcomes Kids for a "Sports Extravaganza"”→
The two most recent exhibitions in the Augsburg Art Galleries opened in the beginning of November and will be here until Dec. 16. The Gage Family Art Gallery in the Oren Gateway Center is showing “Journey Toward Healing,” collages by Janette Haley and photographs by Arthur Hand. The Christensen Center Art Gallery is showing “Threads of Community/Dunta Bulshada iskuxirta.”
The Christensen Center exhibition, “Threads of Community,” which in Somali is translated “Dunta Bulshada iskuxirta,” features colorful yarn weavings made by Somali elder women. These weavers, who are refugees from the war in Somalia, are re-creating an art they learned from their mothers and grandmothers as teenagers. The women were not able to weave during the years spent in camps because they did not have materials. Continue reading “New Art Gallery Exhibits and Events”→
Sheila Anderson is one member of our community who joined Weight Watchers at Work, and has truly been an inspiration for other members with her determination and amazing progress. Here she discusses how being a part of a supportive network of people to encourage her has been integral to the process.
“I came to Weight Watchers because of a need to, well, lose weight. I knew that we needed 20 people to keep the at work meeting going and thought I’d give it a shot. Even if I failed miserably at least it could be my contribution to others at Augsburg. I don’t know if I actually believed that I would succeed, but doing nothing hadn’t proved successful, so what the heck. Continue reading “Spotlight on Weight Loss Success: Sheila Anderson”→
Dianne Detloff, Center for Counseling and Health Promotion, has lost 37.8 pounds on Weight Watchers at Work and was willing to share her weight-loss journey with our community in her own words.
“I came to Weight Watchers because I wanted something convenient to help with an intentional decision I made about wanting to lose weight. I heard a lot of good things about Weight Watchers but never tried it as a dieting tool. I also had some family events coming up when I started last March that I wanted to look and feel better about myself for.
“I keep coming because it has worked for me, and because the leader is awesome and the people in the group are incredibly supportive each and every week. I also get ideas and information and feel myself becoming more confident as the weeks continue. And it works wells with my schedule and an on campus meeting location is very convenient. Continue reading “Spotlight on Weight Loss Success: Dianne Detloff”→
Ngugi wa Thiong’o, the renowned Kenyan novelist, playwright, and essayist, and author of Augsburg’s Many Voices text, The River Between, will speak at Augsburg on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. in Hoversten Chapel.
Augsburg’s strong Norwegian heritage shows, especially during the holiday season. Once again, it is almost time for the traditional Scandinavian Velkommen Jul celebration hosted by the Augsburg Associates on Nov. 30, starting with Chapel service at 10:20 a.m. and moving to the Christensen Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Augsburg fall sports season has come to an end, with several teams showing strong improvement in both overall records and individual accomplishments.
The Theatre Arts Department presents two shows back-to-back over the weekend of Nov. 16.
The campus community mourns the death of one of Augsburg’s music giants, composer and conductor Leland Sateren ‘35, who died on Saturday, Nov. 10, at the age of 94.
For over a quarter century, Augsburg College has observed the beginning of the Christmas season with Advent Vespers, a joyous celebration of the holidays. On Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1 the College will mark this 28th annual event with services highlighting the theme “That All May Have Light.”
Since 1999, Augsburg Students from the Health and Physical Education Department (HPE) hold an annual one-day event for children with disabilities called “Sports Extravaganza.” Children with both mental and physical disabilities get the unique chance to use Augsburg’s dome to participate in activities and games, including: parachute, cage ball, soccer, beach ball volleyball, relay races jump rope, and dance.
The two most recent exhibitions in the Augsburg Art Galleries opened in the beginning of November and will be here until Dec. 16. The Gage Family Art Gallery in the Oren Gateway Center is showing “Journey Toward Healing,” collages by Janette Haley and photographs by Arthur Hand. The Christensen Center Art Gallery is showing “Threads of Community/Dunta Bulshada iskuxirta.”
Sheila Anderson is one member of our community who joined Weight Watchers at Work, and has truly been an inspiration for other members with her determination and amazing progress. Here she discusses how being a part of a supportive network of people to encourage her has been integral to the process.
Dianne Detloff, Center for Counseling and Health Promotion, has lost 37.8 pounds on Weight Watchers at Work and was willing to share her weight-loss journey with our community in her own words.