{"id":10332,"date":"2020-08-28T01:38:44","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T01:38:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/?p=10332"},"modified":"2021-01-29T17:56:21","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T17:56:21","slug":"notes-from-president-pribbenow-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/2020\/08\/28\/notes-from-president-pribbenow-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Notes from President Pribbenow: \u2018Through Truth to Freedom\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PresidentAs we conclude our yearlong celebration of Augsburg\u2019s 150th anniversary, in the midst of these historic times, I have been reflecting on some of\u00a0the mottos and slogans Augsburg has used throughout its\u00a0history. From our founding scriptural motto\u2014\u201cAnd the Word\u00a0became flesh and lived among us\u201d (John 1:14)\u2014to the\u00a0familiar \u201cEducation for service,\u201d to the more recent \u201cWe\u00a0believe we are called to serve our neighbor,\u201d to the iconic\u00a0phrase first used as part of Augsburg\u2019s 100th anniversary\u00a0and now featured on our university seal, \u201cThrough truth to\u00a0freedom,\u201d each phrase points to abiding values that are at\u00a0the heart of the education Augsburg offers to its students.<\/p>\n

I am particularly struck by the claim made in that\u00a0centennial motto, and I wonder what it might mean\u00a0to explore how \u201cThrough truth to freedom\u201d shapes our\u00a0teaching and learning community in the midst of these pandemic times.<\/p>\n

In a recent presentation, Professor of Religion Mary<\/strong>\u00a0Lowe<\/strong> offered a provocative challenge when she asked us\u00a0what it might mean to educate our students for freedom.\u00a0What a countercultural notion! Educated for freedom from\u00a0ignorance, from oppression, from division and hatred and\u00a0violence. Educated for freedom to make the world more fair\u00a0and just and healthy, to be good neighbors, to take care of\u00a0creation. Educated for freedom for the sake of the world, for\u00a0the good of others, for the promise of wonder and creativity.<\/p>\n

At Augsburg, the possibility of this education for freedom\u00a0is grounded in claims of truth. Above all, a theological\u00a0claim of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ\u2014stated so\u00a0powerfully in that founding scriptural motto from the first\u00a0chapter of John\u2019s gospel\u2014a truth that makes all things\u00a0possible in our lives and work in the world. At the same\u00a0time, it\u2019s the truth we find in our commitment to a liberal\u00a0arts education\u2014to the belief in scientific knowledge, in\u00a0social analysis, in artistic expression, in cultural wisdom.\u00a0And finally, it\u2019s the truth we find in the lived experiences of\u00a0our students and the communities from which they come,\u00a0truths that reside in rituals and traditions and practices that\u00a0invite us into worlds rich in knowledge and wonder.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough truth to freedom\u201d strikes me as a compelling\u00a0response to this moment when we find ourselves living\u00a0at the intersection of three pandemics. The COVID-19\u00a0pandemic has disrupted all aspects of how we live and\u00a0work, and it has pointedly illustrated the tension between\u00a0public health and economic well-being. Following in the\u00a0wake of that pandemic, an economic pandemic threatens\u00a0our social fabric with massive unemployment and business\u00a0closures worldwide. And, most recently, the racial inequities\u00a0exacerbated by the senseless murder of George Floyd by\u00a0Minneapolis police officers\u2014along with countless Black,\u00a0Indigenous, and other people of color who\u2019ve experienced\u00a0similar racism and violence\u2014have created a third pandemic\u00a0that threatens to tear our country apart. Surely this\u00a0uncharted intersection of crises presents unique challenges\u00a0for all of us as citizens, trying to imagine how we will\u00a0navigate to some as yet unknown future.<\/p>\n

The question we will ask at Augsburg\u2014a question at\u00a0the heart of our academic mission and our commitment\u00a0to social justice\u2014is, \u201cWhere is the truth in the midst of\u00a0these pandemics?\u201d<\/p>\n

What is the truth about keeping each other healthy\u00a0in the face of a novel coronavirus? What is the truth in\u00a0an economy that, more and more, deepens remarkable\u00a0inequities What is the truth in centuries of systemic\u00a0racism and oppression? And the truths we will find, always\u00a0evolving and emerging and transforming, will free us for the\u00a0work we are called to do as \u201cinformed citizens, thoughtful\u00a0stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders\u201d\u2014Augsburg\u2019s mission!<\/p>\n

Let us go forward together into the next 150 years of\u00a0Augsburg\u2019s life recommitted to education guided by the\u00a0belief that through truth there is indeed freedom. I can only\u00a0wonder what such a countercultural belief will mean for\u00a0stories yet to be told.<\/p>\n

Stay strong, safe, and well.<\/p>\n

Faithfully yours,<\/p>\n

Paul C. Pribbenow<\/strong>, President<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we conclude our yearlong celebration of Augsburg\u2019s 150th anniversary, in the midst of these historic times, I have been reflecting on some of\u00a0the mottos and slogans Augsburg has used throughout its\u00a0history. From our founding scriptural motto\u2014\u201cAnd the Word\u00a0became flesh and lived among us\u201d (John 1:14)\u2014to the\u00a0familiar \u201cEducation for service,\u201d to the more recent \u201cWe\u00a0believe <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":297,"featured_media":9855,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,33],"tags":[90],"class_list":["post-10332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-around-the-quad","category-presidents-letter","tag-spring-summer-2020"],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/297"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10332"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10910,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10332\/revisions\/10910"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}