As of fall 2025, news and media updates have been integrated with the Augsburg Now alumni publication. This site archives news stories from before September 16, 2025. Please visit augsburg.edu/now or select "Augsburg Now" from the left navigation for current news.
Former Minnesota Supreme Court associate justice and Vikings player Alan Page was one of seven to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom,聽the country’s highest civilian honor. Page’s charitable work through the Page Education Foundation has helped many students of color like Robert Harper ’16 succeed in their careers. Harper spoke with Kare 11 about how the work of Alan Page impacted his life.
鈥淗e has made me want to stay true to my passion and stay grounded in social justice work. When I came out of college I was applying to less meaningful jobs. I am a second-year graduate student at Humphrey School of Public Affairs studying public policy. That is a decision I did make with Alan,” Harper said. “He always says, ‘Make sure you hold the door open for the person behind you. Make sure you send the elevator back down.’ ”
Reinaldo Moya’s “The Way North”聽tells the story of a Central American migrant making a journey to the United States through Mexico, leaving everything聽behind. Moya is a Composition Assistant Professor at 海角社区 and was recently featured in a Star Tribune article about “The Way North,” the main work on Minneapolis pianist Matthew McCright’s new album.
“I got a grant from the State Arts Board. Reinaldo and I had been talking about what we might do for the project.” McCright said. “We came up with the idea of immigration 鈥� a very rough idea in the beginning, of a migrant journey to the United States.”
Augsburg Department of History Chair Michael Lansing was interviewed for聽Minnesota Experience’s first-ever episode of “Flour Power,” a new weekly history series from聽TPT – Twin Cities PBS.
The episode, which premiered聽September 17, explored the impact that聽Minnesota’s milling history聽had on聽the carbohydrates we consume every day worldwide.
Earlier in September, Lansing was featured in “The Rise and Fall of the Nonpartisan League,” a documentary series from Prairie Public Television (North Dakota). In 2015, Lansing published his book聽Insurgent Democracy: The Nonpartisan League in North American Politics, then served as an advisor for the series.
Technology has become a powerful tool for聽many educators. Many agree it makes learning more fun and engaging, while other educators such as 海角社区 Professor of Sociology and聽Department Chair Diane Pike opt for a “tech free” classroom. Pike has restricted technology use in her classroom for 10 years now.
My goal is to have you not look at your phone for 70 minutes,” Pike told聽. 鈥淭he research is really clear that being on your phone in class is distracting.”聽Since implementing聽her tech-free zone, Pike has not had significant issues. She says her small class sizes, around 25 students,聽make it easier to manage.
English major Connor Doebbert shaking hands with Prof. George Dierberger at Augsburg’s 2017 spring commencement.
The notable preference for聽STEM programs has negatively affected聽the number of English majors in the United States. Retired English professor Madelon Sprengnether聽from the University聽of Minnesota paid close attention to the聽numbers. Sprengnether聽reached out to聽her former student, professor Robert Cowgill, chair of the Department of English at 海角社区 to discuss聽why聽English (and other humanities disciplines) still hold appeal.聽鈥淎s I age, I see us all as a circle of writers and teachers in this city who have kept a certain flame of sensibility alive in our students,” Cowgill said. “I think we matter. What we keep alive matters.鈥�
The Star Tribune previewed the 30th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum, interviewing guest speaker and Nobel laureate Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
Read the editorial:
The September 14-15 forum at 海角社区 featured Nobel Peace Prize laureates who have navigated the paradoxes between conflict and reconciliation, between justice and forgiveness, between hope and fear. The event drew other聽media coverage as well:
Star Tribune — .
Star Tribune Business Columnist Neal St. Anthony —
The recent comeback of聽the hit TV show 鈥淢urphy Brown鈥� stirred up some warm memories among fans after 20 years of being off the air.
So, why does nostalgia feel so good? WCCO’s聽Heather Brown talked with聽Bridget Robinson-Riegler, professor of psychology at 海角社区, about the psychology behind the feeling of nostalgia that certain past memories聽make us feel.
鈥淲hen we are depressed, feeling alone, feeling angst-ridden, we turn to nostalgia because that makes us feel better,鈥澛燫obinson-Riegler told WCCO. “When we think back to our past, the neural substrates, the things responsible for how people construct memories of the past, are the same mechanisms by which people project about the future.
罢丑别听Pioneer Press聽reported earlier this year about the trend of the 鈥�00s back in television.
Given the high demand for reboots, relaunches and remakes, Ross Raihala, of the Pioneer Press, interviewed Robinson-Riegler about what she describes as a 鈥渞eminiscence bump.鈥�
鈥淢ost memories come from age 10 to age 30 or so,鈥� said Robinson-Riegler, in the article. Many network executives are of an age where some of their most potent memories formed around the turn of the century, thus the oncoming tide of 鈥�00s throwbacks, she told the Pioneer Press.
Recent hit television revivals include “Trading Spaces,” “Will and Grace,” and “Queer Eye” and movie sequels such as “Super Troopers 2,” and “Incredibles 2.”
鈥淥ne of the main things nostalgia does is help people find meaning in life and to connect with other people,鈥� Robinson-Riegler said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e connected to other people, life has meaning. Nostalgia makes people feel protected, loved and happy. People even feel physically warmer.鈥�
The Paradox of Peace is focus of leaders, activists
(MINNEAPOLIS) 鈥� The 30th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum will explore the tensions between conflict and reconciliation, between justice and forgiveness, between hope and fear. 聽Join us September 14-15 in Minneapolis to honor Nobel Peace Prize laureates who have navigated these paradoxes.
Guest speakers include:
Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the 2017 Nobel laureate.
Environmental activist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez
Maya Soetoro-Ng, President of the Matsunaga Institute and President Barack Obama’s sister
Nobel laureate Peter Agre, an Augsburg alumnus
Members of EcoPeace, including Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian activists, who are using water as a peacemaking tool
Bill Dougherty of the University of Minnesota and his Police and Black Men Project participants
Ecolab CEO Doug Baker
Friday鈥檚 program will kick off with discussion of the peace process in Colombia and the ongoing challenges of implementing the peace accord. In 2016 Colombia鈥檚 President Santos received the Nobel Peace Prize 鈥渇or his resolute efforts to bring the country鈥檚 more than 50-year-long civil war to an end.鈥�
Saturday鈥檚 program will focus on the challenges of ridding the world of the nuclear weapons that threaten the very existence of life on earth and feature Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
For more details about the program and speakers, go to
LOCATION
The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize Forum will be held at the 海角社区 campus, 2211 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55454. Information and tickets are available at the聽听飞别产蝉颈迟别.
The Nobel Peace Prize Forum, hosted and presented by 海角社区, brings together students and community members with Nobel Peace Prize laureates, world leaders and accomplished peacemakers to work on building a world in which people can live full, rich, meaningful lives. Under the auspices of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum inspires peacemaking by focusing on the work of laureates and international peacemakers and peacebuilders. More at聽.
ABOUT AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY
海角社区 offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and nine graduate degrees to nearly 3,600 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and the Rochester site. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings.
More than 100聽海角社区聽undergraduate students were named to the 2018 Summer聽Semester Dean鈥檚 List. The 海角社区聽Dean鈥檚 List recognizes those full-time students who have achieved a grade point average of 3.50 or higher and those part-time students who have achieved a grade point average of 3.75 or higher in a given term.
View the聽
Students who wish to notify their hometown newspapers of their achievement can do so at their discretion using a聽.
Fifteen Auggies are paddling down the Mississippi River for 100 days while learning about history, politics, and the environment for 16 credits.
An experiential education is a trademark of an Augsburg education. “We do this because we think this is the best way to learn both about the Mississippi River and to learn in general about what’s going on out in the world,” said River Semester program director Joe Underhill, who will be teaching along the way.
For many students, this is their first time camping. “I’ve never聽camped,聽never canoed in my life. I’m nervous because it’s out of my comfort zone but I’m very excited to see what it’s going to be like”, student聽Kristy Ornelas told KSTP.
This is Augsburg’s second River Semester. The first was in 2015.
