We are excited to introduce the selected Smaby Peace Scholars for the 2025-2026 academic school year. Through a vigorous application and interview process, Bella Wizik and Ruben Rodriguez-Basilio have shown that they are the strongest candidates to this program, and we are proud to know they will be representing Augsburg University while in Norway.

Alongside other Peace Scholars from our Lutheran sister sites (Concordia College, Luther College, Pacific Lutheran College and St. Olaf College), these two students will participate in the annual summer Peace Scholars program in Norway, designed to deepen students’ understanding of the central issues and theories regarding conflict, war and peace. We want to thank Gary Smaby (The Smaby Family Foundation) for his generous financial support.

Bella Wizik is a rising senior at Augsburg University, from Duluth, Minnesota, majoring in Communications and Film. With over two years of experience in Augsburg’s Residence Life, Bella currently serves as a Community Development Assistant, where she thrives in fostering connections and enhancing student life. She’s also actively involved with Augsburg Campus Ministries, where her passion for building relationships and creating a supportive community flourishes.

Bella’s semester abroad in Mexico sparked her growing interest in cultural diversity and social inequality, inspiring her to explore these issues further worldwide. Deeply committed to advocating for justice and empowering marginalized communities, she is eager to expand her knowledge and contribute to meaningful change through the Peace Scholars Seminar.

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Ruben is an International Business and Management major with a minor in Management Information Systems. He is from Spain with a Latin American background (his mother is from Brazil). Ruben is currently preparing for a conference in New York for the Model UN course, representing Finland. This experience will provide him with some knowledge of the Nordic countries, and he is excited to learn more about Norway during the Smaby Peace Scholar experience.

This opportunity will allow Ruben to become more involved in International Relations, learning about global peace efforts and bridging his learnings back to his own environment. Additionally, Ruben love animals, so you can often find him playing with dogs or riding horses.

The Arctic is regarded as the most important foreign policy area for Norway. The United States and Norway are both Arctic countries and close allies in NATO. Important areas of cooperation in the Arctic are: security, climate, energy, environment and living conditions for the people living in the Arctic.

The Arctic delegation in the Norwegian parliament is visiting Washington D.C. to have meetings in Congress, both the House and Senate. Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska represents the US in the Arctic parliamentary cooperation where all the eight Arctic states are members. In D.C. the delegation will also visit NASA to discuss space cooperation.

The delegation continues to Minnesota after D.C. There are many living in Minnesota descending from Norwegian immigrants, and in 2025 we celebrate the 200^th anniversary since the first organized group of immigrants came from Norway to America. The Arctic delegation will visit Minnesota to strengthen the already strong relations between Norway and Minnesota, meet with representatives from the Norwegian – American society and have meetings with politicians from Minnesota.

They will be at Augsburg University visiting with students, staff and faculty. All are welcome! See details below.

Date:             Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Location:      Oren Gateway Center 100 

Time:             1:50 pm – 3:00 pm

Delegation Bios: Lars Haltbrekken, Wilfred Nordlund, Bård Ludvig Thorheim, Øystein Mathisen 

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Norway House (on Franklin Avenue) is hosting a reception in the evening (from 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm).

This is a FREE event but you have to reserve your tickets. 

Professor Curt Rice will become the next Executive Director for Fulbright Norway. Curt brings experience in higher education and research from both the United States and Norway to this position. He moved to Norway in 1991 after his PhD work at the University of Texas at Austin. He worked at the University of Trondheim (now NTNU) for two years before moving to the University of Tromsø in 1993 where he remained until 2015. Here he served as the founding director of UiT’s first Center of Excellence among other appointments.

Since then, Curt has served as Rector at both OsloMet (Oslo Metropolitan University) and NMBU (the Norwegian University of Life Sciences). He is a native of Minnesota, a citizen of both Norway and the United States, and a Fulbright alumnus (Belgium 1984-1985). He graduated from Augsburg in 1984.

Internationalization in higher education and research has engaged Curt both personally and professionally throughout his entire career, and as global tensions mount, he finds this work to be even more important. He begins his new position as the Executive Director at Fulbright Norway in August 2024. Congratulations!

The Peace Scholars Program gathered newly chosen and past Peace Scholars at Norway House on April 12, 2024. This was a time to connect graduates of this program and to welcome new students who are just starting their journey as Peace Scholars.

All 2023 PS presented their research from Norway (Health Care System, Oil Dependency and the Green Wave, Art, Indigenous Peoples Rights and much more) resulting in deeper understandings of Norwegian topics while also comparing policies between the United States and Norway.

Depicted below are Theresa Akinjo and Heidi Danielson (PS 2023), as well as alumna, Winnie Godi (PS 2016) together with our newly elected Peace Scholars: Sara Sirag and Anna Hudak.

(From left to right: Heidi, Theresa, Anna, Sara, and Winnie)

The Oslo Chamber Choir, made up of 24 professional singers and their director Håkon Nystedt (grandson of the Norwegian choral composer, Knut Nystedt) visited Augsburg University on October 4, 2023 in our Hoversten Chapel. They shared their commitment to Scandinavian folk music, and the music of the traditional choral repertoire. The concert featured a guest appearance by the Augsburg/Mirandola Collective.

The Oslo Chamber Choir was founded in 1984 by Grete Pedersen with the ambition of being one of the absolute top choirs in Norway and an innovative voice in the international arena. Parallel to singing classical repertoire, the choir early started experimenting with Norwegian folk music, and through intensive work together with the best performers in this tradition, the Oslo Chamber Choir has acquired a unique expression by being the only choir where all the singers are profoundly trained in Norwegian folk music singing. During these thirty years of studying Norwegian singing, the choir also worked closely with selected composers who specialized in Norwegian folk music, developing a new way of using this music in a choral setting.

Thank you for coming to campus and for sharing your gift with our community.

Our Norwegian exchange students had the opportunity to meet the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre at Norway House on September 17, 2023 for a Fireside Chat. We believe this statement is true: It’s easier to meet celebrities from your own country when abroad!

Kurt Engh remounts his original stage adaptation of Erlend Loe’s 1995 cult novel, reimagining the 25-year-old Norwegian narrator as a universal every-person.

After an existential crisis at a birthday party, the narrator slows their life to a halt. With only the objects, people and tasks that bring meaning to their life, the narrator pieces their life back together.

Staged using environmental sound, video, an overhead projector and a fax machine, the performer will uncover the play in real time as the audience watches on.

GET TICKETS HERE.

WHAT: 

Naïve.Super – a new adaptation of Erlend Loe’s 1995 coming-of-age novel by Kurt Engh

WHEN: 

September 1-17, 2023

WHERE:  

Norway House, 913 East Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55404

WHY:  

The play is adapted from the 1995 best-selling Norwegian cult novel about a 25-year-old questioning life and purpose. Engh’s adaptation uses experimental theater techniques in a refreshing, comedic text. The play is held in Norway House’s new innovation and culture center, opened by the Queen of Norway last October.

WHO:

AUTHOR | Erlend Loe
ADAPTER / DIRECTOR / PRODUCER | Kurt Engh
DRAMATURG | Danielle Kincs
PROJECTION DESIGN | Ian Olson
VIDEOGRAPHER | Keller Davis

Exciting NEWS:

Augsburg University and Østfold University College have signed an MOU for the establishment of a semester-long CGEE program in Fredrikstad, Norway. The program, examining issues related to the Norwegian social welfare model, launches in 2025.

In June, the MOU was signed and we had our faculty meet and develop courses with our Norwegian counterparts. In September 2023, a delegation from Østfold University College will visit Augsburg University.

Thanks to everyone who showed up at the Norway Alumni Event in June, graduation dates rating from 1962 to 2018. It was great to reconnect with all of you; to see the friendships that are still alive and developing, hearing your memories and stories from your time at Augsburg, as well as getting an understanding of your current employments and passions!

A huge THANK YOU to NORAM for their hospitality. Being able to host the event in their offices with a grand view of the Oslo fjord was nothing but spectacular.

The doors at Augsburg are always open for our international alumni, and we look forward to celebrate the 2025 Bicentennial Celebration. We will keep you posted as our plans develop!

We are excited to introduce the selected Peace Scholars for the 2023-2024 academic school year. Through a vigorous application and interview process, Theresa Akinjo and Heidi Danielsen, have shown that they are the strongest candidates to this program, and we are proud to know they will be representing Augsburg University while in Norway.

Alongside other Peace Scholars from our Lutheran sister sites (Concordia College, Luther College, Pacific Lutheran College and St. Olaf College), these two students will participate in the annual summer Peace Scholars program in Norway, designed to deepen students’ understanding of the central issues and theories regarding conflict, war and peace, as well as attend the University of Oslo International Summer School.

We want to thank Gary Smaby (The Smaby Family Foundation) and Liv Dahl for their generous financial support.

Theresa Akinjo is a rising senior studying Biopsychology. She is a first-generation Nigerian born and raised in Minnesota.

Theresa is a member of the Sankofa Circle Fellowship, where students are instilled with west African principles of success to further educate and dismantle anti-black racism and oppression as they continue onto their professional careers, whilst learning about the importance of equity and inclusion.

Alongside having a dedication to social justice and equity in the Black/African community, Theresa hopes to promote black physical and mental wellness and eradicate health disparities towards all marginalized communities. A lover of architecture and home design, Theresa dreams of designing homes to participate in an integrated affordable housing program.

Heidi Danielson is a rising junior at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN where she is majoring in Social Work. Previously she was involved in the Albert H. Small Normandy Institute, a rigorous program designed to fill in the educational gaps in World War II history. In the Normandy Institute, Heidi explored the societal impacts of World War II, published a biography for a fallen soldier, and gave a eulogy at the Normandy American Cemetery.

Her experience in France fostered a passion for international peace relations through seeing the gravity of loss and the atrocities committed during times of war. Outside of school, Heidi works as a daycare teacher and gymnastics coach, advocating for affordable, empathetic childcare.

In the future, Heidi strives to pursue a career in hospital social work and increase healthcare accessibility for marginalized communities. She hopes to use peace building skills to create a more equitable environment in her remaining time at college and later career.