When transition transforms

Part of Augsburg’s general education curriculum, AugSem is a seminar course required of all first-year students and any transfer student with fewer than 32 credits.

“AugSem has existed in many iterations over the years,” said Amanda Case, director of the AugSem program and assistant professor of chemistry. “But at its core, it’s always had two main goals—to support students in their transition from high school to college and to help students explore what it means to study specifically at Augsburg.”

The AugSem requirement was recently reimagined to help students feel a sense of belonging and engagement with the wider academic community and to Augsburg, starting right away in their first semester.

Asking big questions

AugSem activities challenge students to think deeply about their career plans and how they understand the idea of vocation,

“Some students come in with clear ideas about their career plans. Others are less certain about their trajectory,” Case said. “AugSem gives students space and some direct prompts to be thoughtful about how to answer those questions in meaningful ways. Continuing on a path that’s not right for you is unhelpful. AugSem students engage everything available here at the university and think about the many career paths out there that might suit them.”

Engaging Minneapolis

Familiarity with the immediate neighborhood around the university and the city as a whole is another pillar of the AugSem program.

“We want our students to feel grounded,” Case said. “Our location in the city and the way we interact with local communities is a distinctive part of what it means to be an Auggie and to be learning and growing in this place.”

AugSem is comprised of nearly 40 student sections. Each group spends time exploring parts of the city and embracing living in a vibrant community on the edge of a large downtown area.

Integrating academics and everything else

By design, AugSem is part of the university’s larger plan to help students integrate academic life with their whole selves.

In addition to the first-year seminar course, all Augsburg students also complete the Augsburg Experience—an academic experience fulfilled outside the classroom, such as a research project, internship, or study abroad encounter. A Senior Keystone component prepares students for their next step after Augsburg by placing their academic and professional development within the context of their values, including picking the right job and ethical considerations.

Case noted that AugSem is central to ensuring the larger student experience at Augsburg is filled with challenge and support. “Augsburg encourages students not just to learn about the thing itself—a skill, a course, a major—but also to think critically about how these things are positioned in the context of their lives and the communities around them.”

---

Top image: First-year students kick-off the new academic year, walking together to opening convocation, August 2024. (Photo by Courtney Perry)