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Auggies abroad in the summer

summer_abroadThough the semester program classes have ended at Augsburg for this academic year, students and faculty are still on the move. Starting on the day after last weekend’s commencement ceremony, groups of Auggies departed both to share their musical talents and to study abroad.

The Augsburg Choir

On May 6, the Augsburg Choir, under the direction of Peter Hendrickson ’76, departed for a 12-day tour of the Midwest. With stops in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington state, the Choir will perform nine concerts and have opportunities to connect with potential Auggies and their families as well as alumni and friends of the College. Continue reading “Auggies abroad in the summer”

Auggies are everywhere

intl_auggies1Since the College’s early days, Augsburg has been welcoming students from around the world to live and learn. Some come for a semester or one year, such as the students from our International Partners schools in Norway, Finland, and Germany. Many other international Auggies come to complete their degrees here after hearing about Augsburg through recruiters who travel to their cities and through friends or family members who have studied here.

Even before they arrive in the fall, new international students work closely with Jim Trelstad-Porter, international student advisor, to ensure that they have completed all of the necessary steps to studying in the U.S. Continue reading “Auggies are everywhere”

Auggies aborad: Fia Goldfine in Germany

fia_germanyIn the months preceding my anxiously awaited departure to Bad Mergentheim, Germany I made a few personal preparations. About three months prior to leaving, I began learning the German language and reading all the books I could find on German history and tourist highlights that I wanted to be sure not to miss. Regardless, no amount of studying or research could have prepared me for the shock of landing in Frankfurt among a crowd of German speaking Deutschlanders. Soon after arriving, I took my first ride on the Bahn and made it to the scenic little town of Bad Mergentheim, in which I have spent the last two months studying. Continue reading “Auggies aborad: Fia Goldfine in Germany”

A Thousand Miles for Reconciliation with Rome

pilgrimsEditor’s Note: Andrew and Sarah Wilson will be presenting about their pilgramage at Augsburg’s Founders’ Day celebrations, Nov. 10-11.

On the morning of August 22, 2010, Andrew and Sarah Wilson will depart from the Augustinian priory in Erfurt, Germany, taking the first steps of their thousand-mile pilgrimage to Rome. The Wilsons will follow roughly the same path Augustinian friar Martin Luther trod 500 years ago in 1510.

Augsburg religion professor, Hans Wiersma, will be among those sending the Wilsons off from Erfurt. Wiersma will walk with the couple as far as Coburg, Germany. After the close of their journey on October 31, the Wilsons will travel to Augsburg College to speak at the school’s annual Founders Day celebration in November. Continue reading “A Thousand Miles for Reconciliation with Rome”

The Minneapolis – Mosbach exchange

germany_exchangeIn early January, an airplane crossed the Atlantic from the U.S. to the E.U. carrying, among other passengers, Shannon Backes, a junior international business major from Augsburg. Another plane flew in the opposite direction bringing Timo Birkhold from Mosbach, Germany to Minneapolis. The two students have effectively traded places as each spends a semester abroad through the International Partners program.

Backes [pictured left] arrived in Mannheim, Germany on Jan. 13 to attend a two-week German language course at Mannheim University. Following that program, she moved to Mosbach, a small town about two hours from Frankfurt, to begin her studies at Berufsakademie Mosbach. Continue reading “The Minneapolis – Mosbach exchange”

WWII through film and literature

WWII_trip Last month, history professor Jacqui deVries and English/film professor Bob Cowgill led a group of 20 Augsburg students through Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Using literature, film, architecture, and eyewitness accounts, students explored the aftermath of World War II to understand how people made sense of their suffering and now pay homage to the past.

The idea for the trip began when deVries joined a Lilly grant-sponsored trip in Europe to study Martin Luther and the Reformation. There she met tour director Andreas Brecht, and the two discovered a common interest in post-World War II history. Continue reading “WWII through film and literature”