Pauline Abraham
Assistant Professor and Director of BSN Program, Nursing, Rochester
Joined the College — 2005
Augsburg allows the students and faculty to become who they want to be as individuals and achieve their dreams. The College has afforded me the opportunity to make lasting impressions on students and meaningful connections with colleagues. I am constantly amazed by the talent, perseverance, and dedication of Augsburg students. It is heartwarming to share their journey.
Elizabeth Ankeny
Faculty Emerita
Associate Professor of Education
Joined the College — 2008
My entire professional career has been dedicated to promoting and supporting positive outcomes for individuals with disabilities. At the beginning of each course I tell students, “You will learn far more from each other than you will from me, and I look forward to learning with you.” To me, watching this happen is the joy of teaching.
Grace Dyrud
Faculty Emerita
Professor of Psychology
Joined the College — 1962
The opportunity to explain complexity in an understandable way to students and to open more broadly their worlds has been a privilege. Students have broadened my knowledge of organizations in the Twin Cities, surveyed psychological literature, and helped me with research on gambling and environmental attitudes. I have also learned about the diversity of their experiences.
Martha Johnson
Faculty Emerita
Professor of Theater Arts
Joined the College — 1997
I love the passion, dedication, and hard work of Augsburg faculty, and the wonderful support that the College gives to the arts and issues of social justice. I’m most proud of the high artistic and academic standards of Augsburg’s theater department combined with the way in which the department proactively includes and welcomes all students into classes and productions. I’ve been profoundly influenced by my students: by their passion for justice; their open, fresh, and daring perspectives; their interrogation of the status quo; and their unending creativity and inventiveness.
Amin Kader
Associate Professor of Business Administration
Joined the College — 1974
I enjoyed teaching at Augsburg because of its smallness and liberal arts atmosphere. Mentorship has always been an important part of my educational experience, from being a student myself to being a mentor to students.
Gregory Krueger
Assistant Professor of Education
Joined the College — 2000
I love the accessibility students have to faculty and staff, especially those frequent times when we meet students in passing in the quad or elsewhere when conversations become more candid, genuine, and authentic. Students inspire me. They are why I do what I do and how I prioritize my professional responsibilities and duty. It’s all for the students. Also, the passion and motivation Augsburg students bring to their preparation to teach with excellence is what gives me hope for the future of schools and schooling.
Steven LaFave
Faculty Emeritus
Professor of Business Administration
Joined the College — 1991
I love the emphasis placed on teaching and learning at Augsburg. My students have expanded my knowledge by giving me examples from “real world” companies and employment situations that they have experienced in a number of industries and employment settings, which served to make classes much richer.
Steven Nerheim
Medical Director Instructor of Physician Assistant Studies Program
Joined the College — 2005
It has been a privilege to work as a member of the Physician Assistant Studies Program with its diverse, hardworking, and committed faculty and staff as they continue to strive for excellence in PA education—academically, professionally, and clinically.
Kathryn Schwalbe
Faculty Emerita
Professor of Business Administration
Joined the College — 1991
I love the people at Augsburg. I love the small classes and emphasis on service learning. I’m proud of my students who have gone on to become leaders in several organizations. My students quickly influenced my teaching style as I realized my job was not just to teach, but to help them learn. Students need guidance and experiences to develop their talents. I love watching students grow and become more confident in themselves. We all need to find our vocation, and my students helped me find and develop mine as an educator, author, and parent.
Frankie Shackelford
Professor Emerita
Professor of Languages and Cross-Cultural Studies
Joined the College — 1990
What I love best about Augsburg is the “small-town feel” of the campus. It’s a great community to be part of, and it’s really easy to interact with colleagues and students from so many different departments and programs. What I’m most proud of during my time at Augsburg is the success of my students.
Beverly Stratton
Faculty Emerita
Professor of Religion
Joined the College — 1986
I appreciated the chance to be part of the Math Department’s commitment to collegiality and peer review as a way to improve student learning in my first eight years at Augsburg (when I was a math professor). During those years, I am also proud of leading the work faculty did with a Ford Foundation grant on “Incorporating Feminist Scholarship Concerning Gender and Cultural Diversity into the Curriculum” and working with others to develop the consortial major in Women’s Studies (now Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies). Now, as a religion professor, I am proud of our work on vocation.
David Venne
Assistant Professor, Department of Physics
Joined the College — 1990