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.
Augsburg College’s $73 million, 135,000-square-foot Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion is the largest construction project underway at Twin Cities private colleges and universities. Finance and Commerce included details on the project’s scope, timeline, and funding in an article that outlined summer building and renovation projects on campuses across Minnesota.
Scheduled to open in January 2018, the Hagfors Center will be Augsburg’s newest and largest academic building. The facility — designed by Minneapolis-based HGA Architects — features a student-centered layout that will foster intersections among areas of study and encourage collaboration. As the Finance and Commerce article noted, the Hagfors Center was the focus of a successful $50 million fundraising campaign that exceeded its goal.
Comprehensive project milestone information is available through weekly updates on the Hagfors Center website.
More than 900 Augsburg College undergraduate students were named to the 2017 Spring Semester Dean’s List. The Augsburg College 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.
Monica Devers to join Augsburg College as dean of Professional Studies in August
(MINNEAPOLIS) — Augsburg College has named Monica C. Devers as dean of Professional Studies, responsible for graduate, adult undergraduate, and traditional undergraduate programs across an array of professional studies programs. Devers brings 14 years of collaborative leadership experience to this position, which oversees six academic disciplines: business administration; education; health, physical education, and exercise science; physician assistant studies; nursing; and social work. Devers also will provide vision and leadership for new program development and professional studies program assessment in her role at Augsburg.
Devers most recently served as the inaugural dean of Health and Human Services at St. Cloud State University. She will report to Provost Karen Kaivola at Augsburg.
“Monica shares Augsburg’s commitment to equity and inclusiveness, to grounding our work in student-centered learning, and to serving as a ‘steward of place’ in the community,” Kaivola said. “Her academic leadership in interdisciplinary collaboration will help define and shape Augsburg’s professional studies programs and enrich Augsburg’s transformative work in serving our diverse student populations.”
In March, Augsburg announced that it would become Augsburg University, effective September 1. The name change reflects the reality that Augsburg already offers nine graduate degree programs in addition to its more than 50 undergraduate degree programs. In announcing the name change, President Paul C. Pribbenow affirmed Augsburg’s dedication to providing students with direct faculty engagement and high-impact learning opportunities, including research, international study, internships, and discipline-specific field experiences.
“Augsburg’s leadership work in student success, community engagement, and economic development helps build and sustain the long-term vitality of our communities,” Devers said. “I am excited to join Augsburg in developing, growing, and enhancing programs that align with the institution’s mission and respond to local and regional needs.”
About Devers: Prior to joining Augsburg, Devers served as the inaugural dean of the School of Health and Human Services at St. Cloud State University. Devers joined St. Cloud State as a faculty member in 1998 and served as chair for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the university’s College of Fine Arts and Humanities. Devers completed her Ph.D. and Master of Arts in communication sciences and disorders at the University of Minnesota. She also holds a Master of Arts in English and politics and a Master of Science in information technology from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Devers is licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health in speech-language pathology and has worked as a speech-language pathologist at the University of Minnesota and for Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota..
About Augsburg: Augsburg College offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and nine graduate degrees to nearly 3,600 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and the Rochester site. 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.
On September 1, school officially becomes ‘Augsburg University’
(MINNEAPOLIS)–The Augsburg community on Saturday, April 29, will celebrate the last graduating class of Augsburg College when 503 day, undergraduate students are conferred their degrees. Earlier this spring, Augsburg’s Board of Regents and the Augsburg Corporation approved the institution’s name change to “Augsburg University” effective September 1.
“It’s a historic moment for Auggies and a time for our community to celebrate nearly 150 years of educating young people and adults for lives of service,” said Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow. “As we send off our last class of Augsburg College students, we do so on the eve of becoming Augsburg University and of our sesquicentennial, and we do so knowing that these Auggies are prepared to use their gifts and talents to serve our world’s greatest needs.”
In the afternoon, the school will recognize more than 469 adult undergraduates, graduate and doctoral students, 50 of whom studied at the College’s Rochester site.
DAY UNDERGRADUATE COMMENCEMENT
When:9 a.m., Saturday, April 29
Where:Ceremonies in Si Melby Hall located on 23rd Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55454 http://www.augsburg.edu/about/directions-and-parking/ (Rain plan: Students will line up in Si Melby’s lower level and process up stairs, into gym.)
PROGRAM
9:30 a.m. – Student Processional, Christensen Center. Group proceeds, led by drummer, from Christensen Center down South 7-1/2 Street to Si Melby Hall. Faculty, in academic dress, line the streets and clap as students pass. Students carry flags representing home countries represented in student body.
10 a.m. – Invocation and Welcome
Commencement Speaker: Michele Norris, former host, National Public Radio’s All Things Considered.
Student Speaker: Eron “Winnie” Godi, of Rochester, Minnesota, will graduate with majors in international relations and gender, sexuality, and women’s studies, with a minor in peace and global studies. She maintained a 3.79 grade point average while juggling full-time work and full-time school, while also being integrally involved in the Augsburg community. At Augsburg, she was president of the Pan Afrikan Student Union and a past Peace Scholar. As an Augsburg LEAD Fellow, she has created an online magazine focused on celebrating the African diasporic arts and culture in Minnesota and the surrounding community. Off campus, Godi was a 2015-16 Museum Fellow at the Minnesota Historical Society and a finalist for the Princeton in Africa program, which matches recent college graduates with non-governmental organizations in Africa. She was also a finalist for the Humanity in Action Fellowship.
Honorary Degree Recipient: Beverly Daniel Tatum, President Emerita, Spelman College. Tatum is a nationally recognized authority on racial issues.
Conferring of Degrees
Recessional: Students exit Si Melby. Students, families gather in Murphy Square.
ABOUT AUGSBURG COLLEGE
Augsburg College has been part of the rapidly growing and diversifying city of Rochester for nearly 20 years. The main campus is set in a vibrant Minneapolis neighborhood at the heart of the Twin Cities, and offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and nine graduate degrees to nearly 3,600 students of diverse backgrounds. Augsburg College educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. The Augsburg experience is supported by an engaged community committed to intentional diversity in its life and work. 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.
Patrice Salmeri named Executive Director for Recovery Advancement
(MINNEAPOLIS)—Students across the nation who seek to live in recovery from substance use disorders will have greater opportunities for success thanks to the generosity of donors to the Augsburg College StepUP® Program.
“This is a pivotal moment for students in recovery across the nation and how we serve them,” said Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow. “We are poised to leverage our 20-year national reputation as the gold standard in collegiate recovery in enhanced ways: to encourage and shape how other colleges and universities throughout the nation support young people in championing lives of recovery, to work to effect policies and programs that will staunch the opioid epidemic gripping our nation, and to reduce the stigma associated with addiction so that young people can lead lives of meaning.”
(MINNEAPOLIS)—Augsburg College will become Augsburg University effective September 1.
The change reflects the reality that Augsburg already offers nine graduate degree programs—including Minnesota’s first program for physician assistants—in addition to its more than 50 undergraduate degree programs.
“Becoming Augsburg University does not change our dedication to our liberal arts mission or our commitment to being small to our students and big for the world,” said Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow.
“As we lean into our reality as a university, we will continue our drive toward the intentional diversity for which we are known. We will ensure we are student-ready and can provide those of academic ability with opportunities for hands-on learning, undergraduate research, international study, and internships so that all Auggies are prepared to share their gifts and talents with the world.”
The name change decision was made after a thorough review that included conducting market research, studying the process and impact of name changes by other institutions, and holding open dialogue sessions with a broad set of stakeholders, including students, alumni, faculty, staff, and regents.
About Augsburg: Augsburg offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and nine graduate degrees to nearly 3,600 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and the Rochester site. 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.
“Leaders may get so wrapped up in making decisions they forget to just sit down and talk with their staff members,” wrote Dave Conrad, Augsburg College’s assistant director of the Rochester MBA program, in his latest column for the Rochester Post-Bulletin.
A problem exists, according to Conrad, that new leaders can believe their first priority is to develop new game plans independently rather than to get to know staff members to solve problems collectively. Read Conrad’s column, “New leaders should learn to listen,” for tips on how to create an effective workplace communication system.
This month, officials from Augsburg College and Anoka-Ramsey Community College launched the Auggie Plan, a guaranteed pathway to a four-year degree for community college students who meet minimum GPA requirements and who complete general education coursework on their way to enrolling at Augsburg College.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently published an article covering Steve Wozniak’s Scholarship Weekend presentation at Augsburg College. Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple, Inc., spoke about innovation, creativity, and education in an increasingly connected world.
“My whole life has been teaching myself things that were not learned in school,” he told a packed auditorium. “More important than learning, more important than knowledge, is motivation.”
Wozniak’s comments centered primarily on the early days of his career at Apple and the importance of continually revisiting challenging tasks.
According to the Star Tribune, “Looking back, Wozniak said part of his success came from simply forcing himself to put pencil to paper, over and over again. ‘Creativity is a willingness to think very differently,’ he said. ‘Not knowing how to do something means sitting down to figure it out.'”
This week, a statement from Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow and Provost Karen Kaivola to students, faculty, and staff about Augsburg’s support of all students was part of a story in the Star Tribune about responses by higher education institutions to recent executive orders by U.S. President Donald J. Trump.
“We do not accept the intolerance which the new immigration policies promote. Augsburg’s history is rich with the contribution of individuals who came to America; indeed, founded by Norwegian immigrants, Augsburg has an immigrant sensibility and will stand firm in the face of threats to our community and our immigrant neighbors,” wrote the President and Provost.
“We will double down on our commitments to hospitality and justice, to supporting our students’ success and to keeping them safe. We will advocate at the state and federal level for policies that support all of our students.”
Read “Trump’s orders have U and Macalester presidents varying with views” on the Star Tribune site.
Read “Statement: President Pribbenow, Provost Kaivola on executive orders by President Donald J. Trump” on the News and Media site.
Augsburg College’s $73 million, 135,000-square-foot Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion is the largest construction project underway at Twin Cities private colleges and universities. Finance and Commerce included details on the project’s scope, timeline, and funding in an article that outlined summer building and renovation projects on campuses across Minnesota.
This month, officials from Augsburg College and Anoka-Ramsey Community College launched the Auggie Plan, a guaranteed pathway to a four-year degree for community college students who meet minimum GPA requirements and who complete general education coursework on their way to enrolling at Augsburg College.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently published an article covering Steve Wozniak’s Scholarship Weekend presentation at Augsburg College. Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple, Inc., spoke about innovation, creativity, and education in an increasingly connected world.
