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.
(Minneapolis) – An Augsburg University faculty team was selected as one of 10 from a competitive, national pool of applicants to participate in a new program designed to prepare faculty members to adopt active learning methods proven to be successful in teaching science.
Associate Professor of Biology Jennifer Bankers-Fulbright was the lead applicant and, along with Biology Lecturer Teresa Krause and Physics Department Chair Benjamin Stottrup, learned to implement new methods based on the research findings of Stanford University professor of physics and Nobel laureate Carl E. Wieman. These methods are designed to improve teaching effectiveness and student learning in biology, chemistry, and physics courses.
The summer 2019 seminar was offered by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and supported by a $300,000 grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation.
“The ability to think like a scientist is critical for all students, not just those who will major in STEM or plan to pursue an advanced degree,” said Richard Ekman, the CIC president. “Systematic change is needed to create the science-literate population needed to understand research-based science policy, which affects all aspects of today’s society.”
Although small colleges have long been recognized for the high percentages of their science majors who complete undergraduate degrees, earn advanced degrees, and enter STEM careers, this seminar marks the first systematic attempt to promote this powerful pedagogy among faculty members at smaller independent colleges and universities. Wieman provided the inspiration for and has been the guiding force in developing the seminars, recommending the facilitators, providing the syllabus, and shaping the process.
Despite numerous studies that have demonstrated improved effectiveness if instruction were changed from traditional lectures to more effective, active learning methods—in the sciences as in other fields—research indicates that the lecture is still the default method for many faculty members.
Each institution supported a team of four faculty members from no more than two disciplines (biology, chemistry, or physics), including at least one department or division chair or dean. The team received intensive training to prepare them to implement and assess research-based active learning methods in introductory courses in their departments when they return to campus.
The first seminar took place July 15–19, 2019, at Holy Names University in Oakland, California. After the seminar, college faculty members will participate in webinars, as well as conference calls and a site visit for each institution.
Contact: Gita Sitaramiah, director of PR and internal communications, 612-330-1476.
About Augsburg. Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and 10 graduate degrees to 3,400 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings. Learn more at Augsburg.edu.
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of 770 nonprofit independent colleges and universities, state-based councils of independent colleges, and other higher education affiliates, that works to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of independent higher education’s contributions to society. CIC is the major national organization that focuses on services to leaders of independent colleges and universities and state-based councils. CIC offers conferences, seminars, publications, and other programs and services that help institutions improve educational quality, administrative and financial performance, student outcomes, and institutional visibility. It conducts the largest annual conferences of college and university presidents and of chief academic officers. Founded in 1956, CIC is headquartered at One Dupont Circle in Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.cic.edu.
Jeanne Boeh, professor of economics and business department chair at Augsburg University, was recently a featured panelist on the weekly TPT news program, Almanac.
She provided commentary about trade, tariffs, and middle-class debt.
The panel included Boeh as well as a professor of economics from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University and the dean of the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business.
(Minneapolis) — Augsburg University is installing in August Each, Together, a Group Action of the INSIDE OUT Project, started by French street artist JR, that will include over 1,200 portraits. This installation in honor of Augsbug’s upcoming sesquicentennial will cover 10 campus building facades along Riverside Avenue.
INSIDE OUT Preview
Members of the media are invited to Augsburg on August 6 to photograph the installation as well as for interviews with the project’s lead organizer Associate Professor Christopher Houltberg.
Expected to be the largest such project in the Twin Cities area, these portraits will create a tapestry of faces that celebrate, recognize and honor the people of Augsburg University over the past 150 years. Each of the 1,229 students, faculty, alumni, and staff will ultimately be present together.
Installation will take four weeks to complete along Riverside, beginning at Foss Center on 22nd and moving toward 25th Avenue South.These buildings will include the Flower Shop, Maintenance Facilities, Ice Arena, Anderson Music Hall, and Foss Center.
Founded in 1869, Augsburg’s year-long sesquicentennial celebration launches in September 2019.
On August 6, media members are invited to interview Associate Professor Christopher Houltberg and photograph or videotape installation as it begins.
For details, contact:Gita Sitaramiah, Director of PR and Internal Communications. sitarami@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1476.
About Augsburg. Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and 10 graduate degrees to 3,400 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings. Learn more at Augsburg.edu.
Augsburg University’s third River Semester starting in August will be part of a prestigious German initiative to explore the Mississippi River.
Mississippi. An Anthropocene River is a German research project involving many communities and initiatives along the river with a focus on climate change. Joining Augsburg students will be German travelers: Max Planck Institute and Goethe Institute scholars; field station members; journalists; authors, and artists.
This year’s River Semester voyagers will depart from Lake Itasca on Aug. 30 and, for 100 days, paddle portions of the Mississippi River ending in New Orleans. Students will earn 16-19 credits.
About Augsburg. Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and 10 graduate degrees to 3,400 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings. Learn more at Augsburg.edu.
(Minneapolis) – Faculty and staff from universities nationwide will gather at The Place-Based Justice Network Summer Institute at Augsburg University from July 10 to 12 to analyze community engagement issues.
Augsburg is one of 25 higher education institutions that make up the The Place-Based Justice Network, committed to transforming higher education and our communities by deconstructing systems of oppression through place-based community engagement.
As part of the conference, participants will tour Augsburg neighbors, including Sisterhood Boutique; Health Commons; Trinity Lutheran/DaralHijrah; Cedar Cultural Center, Cedar Commons; Brian Coyle Center, and Augsburg Community Gardens. A reception with live music will be held at the McKnight Foundation.
Since the initial convening in 2014, teams from 25 universities have participated in the institute organized by Seattle University and supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
View the schedule.
About Augsburg. Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and nine graduate degrees to 3,400 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings. Learn more at Augsburg.edu.
Jeanne Boeh, professor of economics and business department chair at Augsburg University, was recently a featured panelist on the weekly TPT news program, Almanac.
She provided commentary about trade, workforce participation, and interest rates.
The panel included Boeh as well as Louis Johnston, professor of economics at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, and Lee Schafer, business columnist at the Star Tribune.
MPR reports that Augsburg University’s recent announcement about plans for a new doctoral psychology program would let students pick up where they left off after Argosy University closed in March.
“We believe we have the ability to bring that program over to Augsburg,” Monica Devers, dean of professional studies and graduate education at Augsburg told MPR News. “This Psy.D. program is a way to help former Argosy University students while also meeting the growing demand for mental health services statewide.”
Contact: Gita Sitaramiah, Director of Public Relations and Internal Communications Office: 612.330.1476
(Minneapolis) – Augsburg University plans to introduce a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology degree in fall 2019, pending approval and accreditation by external agencies.
Once the program is accredited, Augsburg will be the only university offering a Psy.D. program in clinical psychology in Minnesota. The first class will be a teach out option for students previously enrolled in the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, which closed in March.
“Our mission is to serve students, and this Psy.D. program is a way to help former Argosy University students while also meeting the growing demand for mental health services statewide,” said Monica Devers, Augsburg University dean of professional studies.
Augsburg has received authorization from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and has filed applications with the Higher Learning Commission and the American Psychological Association. The Higher Learning Commission has approved a site visit.
Meanwhile, Augsburg is working with former Argosy faculty, staff, and students to introduce a program that provides continuity for Argosy students. The Argosy program had educated a significant share of the state’s licensed psychologists, and the workforce demand is expected to be high in this field. Employment in psychology-related occupations in the U.S. is projected to grow 13.7 percent from 2016 to 2026, according to Hanover Research.
“Augsburg would be filling a gap in the region in planning to offer this doctoral program,” said Margit Berman, interim co-director of Augsburg’s Psy.D. program and former associate professor of clinical psychology at Argosy. “Argosy students would have the opportunity to complete their doctoral program without relocating to another region.”
The Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology degree would be the second doctorate offered at Augsburg. In 2010, Augsburg began offering the Doctor of Nursing Practice.
For more information, potential students may email Monica Devers at devers@augsburg.edu.
About Augsburg. Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and nine graduate degrees to 3,400 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings. Learn more at Augsburg.edu.
More than 800 Augsburg University undergraduate students were named to the 2019 Spring Semester Dean’s 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.
(Rochester, Minn.) – Kaycee Rogers, director of education — Rochester, was awarded Augsburg University’s Outstanding Contributions to Teaching honor. She is the first full-time Rochester recipient of Augsburg’s outstanding teaching award.
The outstanding teaching award is given to one Augsburg faculty member annually to recognize outstanding contributions to the university that go beyond the expectations of their position.
Rogers received this award because of her active engagement with students, creative approaches to instruction, ability to challenge students, and her overall passion for teaching.
“Kaycee Rogers is a gifted teacher. As the director of education in Rochester, Kaycee has improved the programs extensively by updating course materials, designing engaging classroom activities, and providing educational workshops,” said Margaret Finders, professor of education. “What she does exceptionally well is advise and mentor students.”
Many would agree with student Jennifer Barnett: “I was terrified to return to school because it had been 13 years since I had been in a college class. Through a counseling session, Kaycee gave me the confidence that I belonged, and assisted me in every step of my academic planning,” Barnett said. “I instantly felt at home at Augsburg because of her.”
Rogers said she’s humbled to receive the award so early in her career and makes it a priority to truly know her students, their backgrounds, their lives, and their future aspirations.
“For me, great teaching has always been student-centered,” Rogers said. “It doesn’t matter if your students are third-graders or pursuing their master’s degrees, a good teacher plans and facilitates learning with the student in mind.”
About Augsburg. Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and nine graduate degrees to 3,400 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings. Augsburg has offered degrees at its Rochester location for 20 years. Today, the site offers degrees in nursing, business, and education. Learn more at Augsburg.edu.
