Bing tracking

MPR talks with President Pribbenow about Auggie Plan

Minnesota Public Radio logoThis 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.

Students in the program can take a range of liberal arts courses with the knowledge the courses will be accepted by Augsburg. Listen to Minnesota Public Radio’s story, “How Minnesota colleges are teaming up to give students a cheaper path to 4-year degrees,” which included an interview with President Paul Pribbenow.

Star Tribune Editorial Board recognizes Augsburg College’s equity and inclusion work

Minneapolis Star Tribune - logoPresident Paul Pribbenow met with leaders of the Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial board to discuss Minnesota’s educational achievement gap among children and youth of diverse backgrounds. The state has one of the largest achievement gaps in the nation, and Augsburg is working to ensure all students of academic ability have access to higher education. The College’s pledge to this work includes limited debt pathways to graduation, setting aside dedicated housing for homeless students, increasing financial aid literacy, supporting faculty in creating inclusive classrooms, and increasing access to course materials.

The College was applauded for this leadership through a compelling editorial, “Augsburg College leads the call for campus equity,” written and published by the Star Tribune editorial board on Aug. 30.

The editorial explained that Minnesota is rapidly diversifying, but increasing student diversity on college campuses involves more than waiting for more nonwhite Minnesotans to enroll. “As Augsburg College is demonstrating, academic institutions can do much to adapt their own policies and practices to educate what previously has been an underserved share of the state’s population,” the editorial explained.

Augsburg has sought to reduce barriers to college success that often impede students of color, and the College aims to not only to enroll a larger share of nonwhite students, but also to see them through to graduation.

WCCO story showcases Augsburg College’s diverse incoming class

A recent report airing on WCCO radio noted that as students of all ages returned to school this fall, “Augsburg welcomed the class of 2020, with staff greeting students as they walked into the chapel for convocation. However, the class of 2020 had a special distinction – they are the most diverse class the college has seen, with more than 45 percent of them being students of color.”

As Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow explained, “For Augsburg, that means that our commitment to diversity, to inclusion and [our] commitment to justice is actually being lived out by the students who come here to be part of our community,”

Read and listen: Augsburg College Welcomes Most Diverse Freshman Class Ever on the WCCO website.

 

 

Media reacts to “Un-Minnesotan” newspaper ad

UnMinnesotan AdAugsburg College President Paul Pribbenow was one of the high-profile Minnesotans recently included on a full-page ad in the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper that denounced anti-Muslim bigotry as “un-Minnesotan.”

Others who added their support to the campaign include Gov. Mark Dayton, U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, and the CEOs of prominent Minnesota businesses such as Best Buy, General Mills, and Cargill.

The ad was a joint effort between Democratic U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison and John Taft, CEO of RBC Wealth Management. It states that although Minnesotans, “may be a soft-spoken bunch, we know better than to be silent or still in the face of bigotry shown to Muslims. Our fellow Minnesotans.”

Several media outlets have reported on the ad, including:

President Paul C. Pribbenow conferred honorary fellowship at United International College in China

Pribbenow and Sung
UIC President Prof. Ng Ching-Fai shakes hands with Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow at UIC’s commencement ceremonies and following conferring an honorary fellowship on Pribbenow.

Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow was conferred an honorary fellowship at the 7th graduation ceremony of United International College in Zhuhai, China.

UIC Dean and Prof. M.H. Sung, in conferring the fellowship, the equivalent of an honorary degree in the United States, said the award is “in recognition of Dr. Paul C. Pribbenow‘s outstanding accomplishments in promoting liberal arts education and social ethics as well as in appreciation of his support for UIC.”

Augsburg and several other members of the Minnesota Private College Council have been partners with UIC since its founding 10 years ago as the first liberal arts college in mainland China.

Augsburg names new vice president for Enrollment Management

William Mullen to lead admissions, financial services

EnrollmentVP2

MINNEAPOLIS – Augsburg College today announced the appointment of William Mullen as vice president for Enrollment Management. Mullen will join the community in mid-July.

As the College’s chief enrollment officer, Mullen will lead a team of 30 admissions and student financial services staff in building enrollment and leveraging financial aid strategies for Augsburg’s undergraduate, adult undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. Mullen will report to Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow and will serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet. Continue reading “Augsburg names new vice president for Enrollment Management”

The challenges of our current economy

financialThe current economic times are turbulent and challenging, affecting everyone as the Dow plunges to record-low rates. Each day reports from higher education media describe how colleges and universities across the country are experiencing the effects of the financial crisis on their faculty, staff, and students.

At the regular fall gathering of faculty and staff in November, Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow discussed the economic crisis and its implications for the College.

As are colleges across the country, Pribbenow said that Augsburg has noticed an increased number of students this semester who have larger than normal student account balances. He explained that Augsburg’s enrollment and financial services staff are working closely with individual students to develop financing plans. Continue reading “The challenges of our current economy”

Live from the maroon carpet

awards2The inaugural Auggie Awards were recently held at Augsburg College, celebrating

the individual and team successes of the 2007-2008 season. While in

past years, men’s and women’s athletic departments have each held their

own end-of-season banquets, this ceremony combined the team and individual

awards.

There were differences in the structure of the event, most notably that senior athletes were recognized in a reception hosted by President Paul Pribbenow and Athletic Director Jeff Swenson before the main ceremony. The reception commemorated the seniors’ years of participation, awards, and honors. Regarding this acknowledgment, senior women’s soccer player Erin Gave said, “It was a great way to end the year for the seniors. I really enjoyed it; my favorite part was definitely how they made the seniors stand out.” Continue reading “Live from the maroon carpet”

Hesser named Sabo Professor of Citizenship and Learning

hesserAugsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow recently announced the appointment of Garry W. Hesser as the College’s first Sabo Professor of Citizenship and Learning. Hesser’s work in this new role will lay the groundwork for the establishment of the endowed Martin Olav Sabo Center and Chair.

As Sabo professor, Hesser’s activities will include collaboration with the Center for Service, Work, and Learning concerning student civic engagement and leadership; leadership in campus initiatives to practice democracy and civic engagement, such as issues forums and student programs; collaboration with Augsburg’s annual convocation series, and connections with the Christensen and Batalden symposiums; and identification of new opportunities to develop the Sabo Scholars Program and community outreach programs. Continue reading “Hesser named Sabo Professor of Citizenship and Learning”