Augsburg MFA in Creative Writing nonfiction mentor Jack El-Hai and author David Lebedoff compared writing styles and personal methods on TPT’s Matters of Fact on March 30. El-Hai is the author of “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist,” and with Lebedoff discussed topics ranging from writers’ block to sources of inspiration and working in coffee shops. Watch Matters of Fact on the TPT website.
Jennifer Simon, director of Augsburg College’s American Indian Student Services, talked to KSTP TV about the College’s 6th Traditional Powwow. Simon shared highlights of the powwow, including recognition of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community for a gift of $250,000 for endowed scholarships to support American Indian students. Watch “Traditional Powwow at Augsburg College Thanks Local Sioux Tribe.”
A version of the story also was featured on KAAL-TV in Rochester and can be viewed on KAAL-TV.
Mary-Laurel True, director of community engagement at Augsburg, spoke with the Star Tribune about Augsburg College’s involvement in the development of a thrift store founded and operated by young girls in the East African community. True was instrumental in helping the store get off the ground through her work with Augsburg MBA students who developed a business plan for the store founders. President Paul Pribbenow and Bruce Batten, director of the MBA program, were quoted in the story. Read “Minneapolis thrift store offers retail experience, grass-roots style.”
A housing project being developed by Augsburg alumnus Devean George ’99 was one of several items featured in a Star Tribune business column. The piece described George’s recent talk at an annual fundraiser for a North Side land trust that works to help families buy refurbished homes. George, who retired from the NBA in 2011, is readying to break ground on a multi-use project that will offer retail space and apartments in the neighborhood in which he was raised. Read Neal St. Anthony’s column, “Horizontal Integration of Minnetonka praised for sustained growth.”
Two events with ties to Augsburg College were featured in The Lutheran magazine’s April 2014 edition. The ELCA publication featured photos of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama celebrating Losar, the Tibetan New Year, in Augsburg’s Si Melby gymnasium on March 2. Also pictured was His Holiness, a day earlier, blessing Tenzin Yeshi Paichang ’16 as part of a keynote presentation at the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Forum.
Michael Wentzel, assistant professor of chemistry at Augsburg College, spoke with KSTP TV about a new study that shows marinating meat in dark beer reduces the cancer-causing carcinogens that form when grilling. Wentzel said that a chemical in beer is shown to lessen the formation of harmful molecules during the grilling process and, therefore, can help lower the harm to people who eat grilled meats. Watch the KSTP story “Augsburg chemist: Marinating meat in beer reduces cancer-causing chemicals.”
Augsburg College’s Christopher Smith, assistant professor of education, recently spoke with the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune about legislative efforts to repeal basic-skills exams for teachers. Smith, who co-chaired the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Advisory Task Force, told media that although the majority of the task force members supported repeal of the exams, the group was not recommending repeal of teacher accountability. The Pioneer Press article was titled “Minnesota House Panel considers plan to eliminate teacher skills test,” and the Star Tribune piece was titled “Basic-skills exam for teachers remains despite efforts to scrap it.”
