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Auggies serving in Cambodia

global_connections1During the winter break, a group of students and volunteers, including several Auggies, traveled to Cambodia to teach English and to participate in service projects through the Global Connections Project. The group was led by Penh Soni Lo, director of Pan Asian Student Services at Augsburg and co-founder of the Project.

The Global Connections Project was started by Lo and Shawn Tuoch, both children of wars that resulted in the mass exodus of Southeast Asian refugees to the United States. After several individual trips to Southeast Asia for charitable projects, Lo and Tuoch recognized the need for humanitarian work in the country.

While in Cambodia, the group volunteered at New Life Center Organization orphanage in Siem Reap, which the Global Connections Project built in 2010. They also taught conversational English in Sonha village about 25 kilometers from Battambang. Continue reading “Auggies serving in Cambodia”

Asian American students share their stories through theater

inside_outBy Wendi Wheeler ’06

Walk past the student lounge in Christensen Center on any given afternoon, and it becomes clear that Asian American students make up a sizeable portion of the Augsburg student body. The lounge is a popular hangout for students—a place for them to study, relax, and connect with each other.

To hear some stories of Asian American students at Augsburg, attend the Augsburg Theater Department production of Inside Out. In collaboration with Mu Performing Arts and Pan Asian Student Services, Augsburg will present Inside Out Nov. 18-20.

Inside Out was created and is directed by Rick Shiomi, artistic director of Mu Performing Arts of St. Paul, Minn. The project began when Shiomi interviewed several Asian American students at Augsburg. Based on the interviews, Shiomi developed a series of short scenes that reflect their experiences. The performance also includes additional scenes created by students. Continue reading “Asian American students share their stories through theater”

Leadership lessons in the Boundary Waters

survivalcampThis summer a group of Augsburg students spent a weekend in the Boundary Waters. While learning how to right a capsized canoe and how to navigate their way to shore without the benefit of paddles, the students also learned some valuable lessons about leadership.

Penh Lo, director of Pan-Asian student services at Augsburg, started the leadership survival camp last year as a way to give Augsburg student leaders a unique opportunity to discover nature and also to gain insight into their roles as leaders. Continue reading “Leadership lessons in the Boundary Waters”

Lunar New Year is opportunity to learn about Asian culture

lunarnewyearThis Friday, many of Augsburg’s Asian students and members of the entire Augsburg community will be celebrating the Lunar New Year—with 2011 marking the year of the rabbit representing grace, culture, and beautiful manners. All are invited to participate in this celebration.

The Lunar New Year is not celebrated solely by the Chinese; different Asian communities each have their own traditions for celebrating this festival. It comes from the lunar calendar and falls on a different day each year. Additionally, each year represents an animal in the Chinese zodiac cycle of 12 years. Continue reading “Lunar New Year is opportunity to learn about Asian culture”

Augsburg featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education

chronicleWhen The Chronicle of Higher Education was looking for Minnesota institutions to visit for a story on the changing demographics of the state, Augsburg College was a natural choice.

Augsburg, after all, has a student body that has grown more and more diverse in recent years. This year’s first-year class in the Day College is made up of 42 percent students of color.

Below is the story that is on the front page of the current issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education, the leading source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. The publication has a total readership of 350,000 and its Website receives more than 12 million page views per month. Continue reading “Augsburg featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education”