Star Tribune recently published in their business forum section a joint commentary written by Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow and Fairview CEO James Hereford, who also serves in Augsburg’s Board of Regents. The publication focuses on how both Augsburg University and Fairview Health Services, while focused on their specific missions through the pandemic, have also continued to embrace their responsibilities as the anchor institutions that their communities rely on, specifically in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
As of fall 2025, news and media updates have been integrated with the Augsburg Now alumni publication. This site archives news stories from before September 16, 2025. Please visit augsburg.edu/now or select "Augsburg Now" from the left navigation for current news.
Augsburg University announces that a significant gift has been made for a new leadership position: the El-Hibri Endowed Executive Directorship for the Interfaith Institute. This new role is thanks to a gift from Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri. They first learned of Augsburg while researching higher education options for their son Karim, who was in recovery from substance issues. The family has been actively engaged with the university since then and Karim has meanwhile graduated from Augsburg’s StepUP program. In 2019, Augsburg University established Interfaith at Augsburg: An Institute to Promote Interreligious Leadership. This program illustrates the many ways in which our commitment to interfaith learning and leadership can shape our work on campus and in the wider community, and this work requires a strategic leader and distinguished scholar to provide direction. Nearly 100 Augsburg University undergraduate students were named to the 2021 Summer Semester Dean’s View the 2021 Summer Semester Dean’s List. Students who wish to notify their hometown newspapers of their achievement can do so at their discretion using a news announcement template. Sod House Theater, co-founded by Darcey Engen ’88, professor and chair of Augsburg’s Department of Theater Arts, is offering a new production in September and October: “Arla Mae’s Booyah Wagon.” The show was described as “a delicious comedy” in the Star Tribune’s weekly “Our Friday Best” column on August 26. Engen and her husband, Luverne Seifert ’83, who co-founded the theater with her, serve as its co-artistic directors. KSTP aired a story on August 23 about potential holiday toy shortages. Jeanne Boeh, chair and Sundquist endowed professor of Augsburg’s Department of Business Administration, was quoted about the role of the pandemic in inventory problems. View the story: “Toy stores prepare for possible shortages.” Augsburg Professor Terrance Kwame-Ross and retired Education Department chairwoman Margaret “Peg” Finders noticed their department meetings would get tense at times, the Star Tribune reported July 24. Kwame-Ross, a Black man in the mostly white and female department, was convinced his race was the reason that his opinions got pushed aside, according to the Star Tribune story. Finders, a white woman leading the department, struggled to navigate the racial tension in their department meetings. They both came together to examine the discomfort with academic rigor. The result is a framework they call “White Talk Moves”, a workshop to address the moves white people make that tend to silence and discount people of color. Read their interview with the Star Tribune here.
Augsburg Achieves Perfect Score on Campus Pride Index
On August 31, NBC reported on schools recognized by Campus Pride for being LGBTQ-friendly campuses. Augsburg received a perfect score of 5 on the Campus Pride Index. The NBC story, “These 10 religious universities earn high marks for LGBTQ inclusivity,” noted that Augsburg was one of only three religiously affiliated universities that received a score of 5 on the index.Augsburg Alum Dua Saleh ’17 Plays New Character in Netflix’s ‘Sex Education’
Dua Saleh ’17 plays the new character Cal in the third season of the award-winning Netflix show “Sex Education,” available now. Cal is the first non-binary character on the show. Saleh has been written up for their new role in publications such as Newsweek and Teen Vogue. You also can also find an interview with Saleh, “Meet the Actor Playing ‘Sex-Education’s’ New Non-Binary Character Cal,” on Netflix’s website.Announcing El-Hibri Endowed Executive Directorship for the Interfaith Institute
CONGRATULATIONS TO AUGGIES NAMED TO THE SUMMER SEMESTER DEAN’S LIST
List. The Augsburg University Dean’s List recognizes those full-time students who have achieved a grade point average of 3.50 or higher and those part-time students who have achieved a grade point average of 3.75 or higher in a given term.Star Tribune Highlights Augsburg-affiliated Sod House Theater Production
Professor Jeanne Boeh Quoted in KSTP Story on Potential Holiday Toy Shortages
Professor Michael J. Lansing Featured in Smithsonian Magazine Story on the History of Wheaties
Smithsonian Magazine on July 26 published “How Wheaties Became the ‘Breakfast of Champions,” a story on the history of Wheaties cereal and its ties to athletics. Professor Michael J. Lansing, chair of Augsburg University’s Department of History, was one of the primary sources for the story. Lansing, who is working on a book on the history of the milling industry in Minnesota, spoke about the product development and marketing behind the cereal. He also noted that Major League Baseball first began broadcasting games on television, thanks to the influence of Wheaties, which was a major advertiser during both radio and television sports broadcasts. Star Tribune: Profs. Terrance Kwame-Ross, Margaret Finders Develop “White Talk Moves” Training
Adjunct Professor Jamil Stamschror-Lott Featured in Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Jamil Stamschror-Lott ’16 M.S.W., an adjunct professor in Augsburg’s Master of Social Work program, was featured in Diverse Issues in Higher Education on June 17. “How This Minneapolis Man Is Healing Collective Trauma Through Creative Counseling and Mentoring” focuses on his work leading trauma-informed community healing through Creative Kaponya, a therapy practice founded by Stamschror-Lott and his wife, Sara. Speaking about the importance of healing sessions that include meditation, art, and body movement as well as traditional therapy, he said, “Microaggressions and discriminatory encounters can take a mental and physical toll on your body.”