şŁ˝ÇÉçÇř celebrated the class of 2026 at a vibrant commencement ceremony at U.S. Bank Stadium on Thursday, May 7.

This year’s dynamic and diverse group of 544 undergraduate and 228 graduate students represents 24 countries, 16 states, and eight tribal nations at the undergraduate level, and 15 countries, 13 states, and three tribal nations among graduate students. Top undergraduate majors include biology, psychology, finance, and computer science, alongside strong representation in nursing, business, and the social sciences. Graduate students span a wide array of advanced programs, with the largest cohorts in social work, business administration, and physician assistant studies.

President Paul Pribbenow welcomed the graduates to the Minneapolis event, acknowledging the difficulties faced by the community during the past year. And although commencement tends to mark the academic accomplishments of the outgoing class, he said that courage, resilience, and care are also cause for celebration.

“In a time of stress and grief, you showed up for each other and had each other’s backs,” Pribbenow said. “In a time of uncertainty and disruption, you pushed forward, even when it may have seemed impossible to finish your education. I am always proud of Augsburg, but I am especially proud of you.”

Pribbenow then presented awards to members of the class of 2026.

Lee’RayVone G’everdloaahn ’26 was named this year’s recipient of the Marina Christensen Justice Award, which honors a student exemplifying Augsburg’s motto, “Education for Service.” An Act Six Scholar and Newman Civic Fellow, G’everdloaahn graduated with a double major in psychology and critical race and ethnicity studies, and a minor in entrepreneurial studies. He also served the Augsburg community as founder and president of the poetry and meaningful writing club, a community advisor, and a Bonner community leader.

The Richard J. Thoni Award was presented to Savannah Mitchell ’26 MAE, embodying a commitment to community, hospitality, and innovation through her work advancing the Augsburg Family Scholars program. Her unwavering dedication to foster youth inspired her nomination by Professor Tim Pippert, executive director of Augsburg Family Scholars.

“Our students find Savannah relatable and value her insights,” Pippert said in his nomination. “Savannah has been a touchstone whose presence has strengthened the Augsburg Family Scholars community. We know her impact will endure as she continues advocating for foster youth in the future.”

Seng Xiong ’17, ’26 MSW then delivered the commencement address. A deeply introspective reflection, they shared personal challenges of going back to college for an advanced degree—the first in their family to do so—and the importance of maintaining hope and resilience amidst doubts.

“All of us leaving this stage today have the opportunity to use the gifts, resources, and knowledge we have been given to continue finding our way in this peculiar era, while also contributing to a future that lets those to come know they have a meaningful place in the world, too,” Xiong said.

Among the list of their supporters were family, colleagues, educators, and staff.

“I am so humbled to have been given bountiful demonstrations of what it means to be committed to the care and liberation of learners—every and anywhere.”

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“The Study Abroad and Away Office is committed to making study abroad as affordable and accessible as possible, and the Gilman Scholarship plays a critical role in that mission,” said Sarah Morgan, study abroad and away advisor for Augsburg’s Center for Global Education and Experience. “We offer information sessions, writing workshops, and advising support to help Auggies submit strong, competitive applications.”

Established in 2001, the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program has made study abroad more accessible and inclusive by providing scholarships to outstanding U.S. undergraduate students who, due to financial constraints, might not otherwise participate. Since the program’s inception, more than 50,000 Gilman Scholars have studied or interned in more than 170 countries.Ěý

“While we’re proud to be named a Top-Producing Institution, the real credit belongs to our students, who dedicate significant time and effort to earning this prestigious scholarship,” Morgan said. “We’re honored by this recognition and look forward to supporting even more Auggies as they pursue study abroad through the Gilman Scholarship Program.”

To learn more about Gilman Scholarships, visit . The Gilman competition is administered at Augsburg through the Center for Global Education and Experience.

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Reporter Becky Dernbach wrote that President Paul Pribbenow has spent the last few months sharing the story of Augsburg’s response to Operation Metro Surge—supporting both students and the larger community—with university presidents throughout the country.

“I’ve been very careful to say, we’re hoping you don’t have to face this,” Pribbenow said. “But there still are important lessons here about how a community can come together no matter what the challenge is.”

He noted that students came back at a time when it would have been easy to stay away, and the school was able to continue its mission of education.

“It’s not just what we did on campus, but it’s also how we embraced our neighbors,” he said. “It could have gone in very different directions if people had not been supported, or they were too frightened to be here.”

Read the article via Sahan Journal:

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While Hashi’s eventual professional goal is to pursue a Ph.D. in pediatric neuropsychology, he’s drawn to teaching and mentoring young people and sees this opportunity in Uruguay to provide invaluable experience in a global environment. “For me, this opportunity connects directly to my long-term interest in understanding how culture and environment shape the brain and behavior, especially in clinical settings,” Hashi said. “I see it as a chance to step outside of a purely academic perspective and actually learn from a different system and community in a real, grounded way.”

Hashi became particularly interested in Uruguay’s program when he first learned about the country’s strongĚýeducational system, varied population, and cultural life during a Spanish class he took three years ago. He appreciates Uruguay’s commitment to providing free, compulsory education and the programs designed to meet students’ technological needs across the country. He’s eager to learn more about the country’s traditions and festivals highlighting different aspects of Uruguayan culture. “Seeing Uruguay create and nurture spaces that celebrate identity and community reflects values I also admire in the United States,” Hashi said.

As a child of immigrant parents, Hashi said he empathizes with students from diverse backgrounds and can adapt his teaching style to create an inclusive learning environment, even in another country. He grew up in the Twin Cities suburbs, playing sports, joining clubs, and volunteering. When his family traveled to Kenya to take care of his ill grandmother, Hashi adapted to a Kenyan classroom with different expectations and cultural norms. As a Muslim student attending a Christian-affiliated university, interfaith understanding has been part of his everyday life. Additionally, English is Hashi’s second language; he remembers what it was like to learn more than one language during childhood and expects to bring aspects of that experience to his time in Uruguay, especially as he learns from the students in his classrooms.

“I aim to be a living example to them that there isn’t just one way to learn a language,” Hashi said. “In return, I hope they can show me their language and their culture. I hope they can share with me the joys of Spanish outside my textbooks and share with me Uruguayan culture so that I can enjoy it with them.”

Hashi made a strong impression on Augsburg’s Campus Committee Evaluation team—a group of academic professionals who recommended him for the ETA program.

“Zair Hashi is one of the most delightful students I have met in my 30 years of teaching,” deVries said. “Every encounter with him reveals a new story and layer of experience, all of which he recounts with joyful enthusiasm. He is an excellent student, but even more, he brings a collaborative spirit. Zair listens to those around him and seeks to understand.” Established in 1946 as an investment in global peace and American prosperity through educational and cultural exchange, the prestigious Fulbright Program has provided nearly 450,000 students, scholars, scientists, professionals, teachers, scientists, and artists with opportunities to study, conduct research, and teach in over 160 countries and territories around the world. ĚýLearn more about Augsburg’s strong record of Fulbright awardees over the years.

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This year marks the 20th anniversary of Zyzzogeton. Back in 2006, the name “Zyzzogeton” was chosen—the last word in the dictionary symbolizing “the last word on student research” at the end of the academic year. According to Lara Crombie, program coordinator for the Augsburg School of Business, the first Zyzzogeton featured 20 posters with information displayed through cut-and-paste techniques. Two decades later, Hagfors was filled with more than 60 posters and nearly 80 participants. Crombie, who has been involved with Zyzzogeton since 2008, credits the university’s continued support for the event’s steady growth.

“I think what makes Augsburg especially unique is its ability, as a small institution with smaller departments, to offer such robust research experiences,” Crombie said. “This is largely thanks to the faculty who work with students during every step of the research process, and a holistic approach to mentorship that continues well beyond the formal end of a project. After all, research is never really over.”

Students from all programs are invited to participate in Zyzzogeton, including those from the humanities and arts. While the majority of projects are based in STEM, this year featured an URGO project from Lily Truebenbach ’26 on the process of writing a musical. For Zyzzogeton, she put together a small cast to perform a selection from her piece. She said the experience left her feeling inspired, seeing her peers engaged in conversation and excited to share their work.

“Augsburg has supported me by giving me the resources and time to prioritize projects that are meaningful to me,” Truebenbach said. “I’ve been able to explore my own artistry through my creative project, and that means so much.”

Zyzzogeton is truly a campuswide collaboration between departments; programs; faculty members, who partner with student researchers; staff members, like Crombie, who are instrumental in organizing the event; and Ben Stottrup, director of the School of Natural Sciences, who secures the financial means to print professional-grade posters. Hundreds of hours of research are represented on each poster, but the students have learned so much more than how to conduct a one-time professional presentation. According to Crombie, they have gained experience that prepares them for graduate school and research fields, the ability to communicate a specific topic clearly and persuasively, translating dense terms into accessible language, and how to identify when a listener is or isn’t following.

Crombie’s favorite part of the event is seeing the posters come to life as the students talk about their research. “I’m always impressed with the level of critical thought and intellectual curiosity that the students express, both visually on their posters and through conversation,” she said. “For the graduating seniors, it’s especially rewarding to hear what’s next after Augsburg and how the opportunity to do research has helped shape their plans.”

For biology major Luís Millan ’26, the student research experience he gained at Augsburg has informed the scientist he wants to become.

“Augsburg’s unique focus on bringing communities and people together has really shaped the biologist I want to be, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunities they have given me,” Millan said. “My mentor, Matthew Beckman, has been so supportive of my research journey, giving me agency in my project and allowing me to be an independent scientist.”

Millan also presented at the 2024 National Diversity in STEM conference hosted by SACNAS, the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. This opportunity to connect with other Latinx and queer researchers in STEM was made possible by support from URGO and the McNair Scholars program.

The celebratory atmosphere at Zyzzogeton points to something Millan found at Augsburg: a research community. “The [Augsburg faculty and staff] were always there for me when I needed community and to remind me why I started research: to go to graduate school and work in a health equity lab so everyone has treatment that addresses their unique needs.”

Top photo: Hagfors Center welcomes hundreds of faculty, staff, alumni, family, and friends to campus for Zyzzogeton. (Photo by Courtney Perry)

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Eleven student groups, representing 35 Augsburg students, had a rare opportunity on April 24 to pitch their entrepreneurial ideas to a panel of judges in the spring “Baby Shark” contest.

Modeled after the reality TV series “Shark Tank,” the competition gives students from Augsburg’s School of Business the chance to present business ideas, make the case for investment, and compete for prize money.

“Each of the presentations was very good,” said Kyle Wheaton ’99, one of the judges. “The students are doing a nice job. From an investment standpoint, the ideas were strong opportunities, but investors are also looking for a broader market that can support long-term success.”

The second-place team composed of all seniors—Sena Dangul ’26, Samia Ahmed ’26, Hodan Huran ’26, and Sumeya Mahamed ’26—shared a $2,000 prize for their pitch of K-Mall, a digital app designed for Karmel Mall in Minneapolis. The mall serves diverse communities and includes a wide range of retail businesses, but lacks wayfinding. Dangul said the competition format helped the team to narrow their focus on the business opportunity. In fact, they have already spoken with the mall owner about putting the idea into action. Judges offered advice on pricing, customer acquisition, and how to strengthen the business model.

Like K-Mall, the first-place concept, Pardon Our Produce, aims to solve a community problem. Developed by Max Milbrandt ’26, the idea addresses what happens to misshapen or expired produce that grocery stores can no longer sell.

Milbrandt, who has worked at Aldi for the past few years, said the experience led him to ask what more could be done with food that might otherwise go to landfills. His proposal would use two refrigerated vans to collect unsold produce and deliver it to nearby food shelves in the Seward, Powderhorn, and Riverside communities.

Milbrandt said he was thrilled to receive the first-place prize of $3,000.

Learn more about how the Augsburg School of Business cultivates entrepreneurship.

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Dear alumni and friends,

The recent announcement of my retirement as president of şŁ˝ÇÉçÇř in June 2027 has been the occasion to reflect on my deep gratitude for the privilege to serve this remarkable institution for the past 20 years—an experience marked not only by institutional milestones, but by the countless relationships, stories, and shared commitments that have shaped our common journey.

Augsburg has always been more than a university. It is a community where faith seeks understanding, where diversity is embraced as a gift, and where education is grounded in a profound sense of purpose. Over the years, I have witnessed our students’ courage and resilience, our faculty’s dedication to teaching and scholarship, and our staff’s unwavering commitment to hospitality and care. Together, we have made Augsburg a living expression of its mission.

We have navigated challenges that tested us—moments of uncertainty, societal upheaval, and the evolving landscape of higher education. And yet, again and again, this community has responded with creativity, compassion, and conviction. We have deepened our commitments to equity and inclusion, strengthened our academic programs, and expanded the ways we live out our calling in the city and the world.

What I will carry with me most are the moments that cannot be measured: conversations with students discovering their vocations, gatherings that celebrate our many cultures and identities, and the quiet acts of service that reveal who we are at our best. These are the signs of a community rooted in something enduring and hopeful.

As I prepare to step away from this role, I do so with great confidence in Augsburg’s future. The challenges ahead are real, but so too are the opportunities—and this community is more than capable of meeting them with integrity and imagination. Augsburg’s mission remains as vital as ever, and its people are its greatest strength.

Thank you for the trust you have placed in me, for the work we have shared, and for the ways you continue to live out Augsburg’s values each day. It has been an honor to serve alongside you. When I conclude my 21 years of service at the end of next year, I will leave this role with a full heart, hopeful for all that lies ahead for şŁ˝ÇÉçÇř.

Faithfully yours,
Paul C. Pribbenow

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The double major in accounting and finance was invited to join one of three teams competing in the third annual Augsburg Entrepreneur Cup, better known as the Auggie Cup. Each team of one MBA student, two undergraduate business majors, and two graphic design majors assesses and supports a business venture that professionals and Augsburg faculty judge during a Shark Tank-style event in December.
Donors fund prize money of $3,000 per student for first place, $2,000 per student for second place, and $1,000 per student for third place.

“We partnered with , which offers AI-powered, culturally tailored ‘Navatars’ that walk people through the colon cancer screening process. Navatar doesn’t conduct screenings, but the platform works to reduce obstacles like confusion, fear, and language barriers to improve screening rates and, ultimately, save more lives,” Harvey said. “That reality makes the learning process more meaningful, and the experience gave us confidence and skills we can carry forward.”

During the fall, Harvey led a financial analysis of Navatar’s efforts to transform how patients are engaged, educated, and guided to act. Through interviews with health care professionals, Harvey and fellow business student, Jacob Henry ’26, learned that tens of thousands of Americans die from preventable cancers, even though screening is available, covered, and recommended. Navatar Health estimates that nearly one-third of eligible Americans remain unscreened, largely due to a lack of trust and understanding.

So, graphic design majors, Alanna Franklin ’25 and Bri Mccutchan ’25, helped the company execute its creative vision to offer user-friendly scheduling and custom Navatars who provide information in many languages. Jacqueline Zimmerman ’26 MBA led the team’s work, keeping the group organized and on track with research and marketing during the four-month project.

Harvey said the project became their passion: “We spent time outside of class on Zoom calls, worked through challenges together, and held one another accountable. Everyone on the team stepped up and did what was needed, and that commitment was present in our final presentation.”

The payoff

At an event in December, the Navatar Health team won first place in front of a crowd of nearly 150 students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs, and donors. Dr. David Perdue, founder and principal of Navatar, was present to congratulate the students.

“They took this as seriously as if they were on my payroll,” said Perdue, who was a gastroenterologist for 16 years before starting Navatar in January 2024. “Our business students interviewed leaders at large health care organizations, including UnitedHealthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield. They synthesized those interviews and thoughtfully integrated the insights into a business plan that reflects how decisions get made in health care. That level of initiative and real-world engagement is not easy, even for experienced professionals. The design students applied next-level design thinking, and Jacqueline managed the project with energy, insight, and expertise.”

The most valuable outcome, Perdue said, was the clarity students brought in, recognizing Navatar’s “friction points,” or where the company could pivot to enhance its reach and impact. Working with start-ups, he added, gives students a fresh perspective.

It was Perdue’s first partnership with Augsburg, and he would “absolutely do it again.”

“I was a little apprehensive at first, wondering how much of my time it would take,” Perdue admitted. “Those concerns were quickly belayed. I met with the team, gave them information about the market, helped make some business contacts, and talked to them about the business for about 30 minutes. They took it from there.”

Success builds momentum

Augsburg business professor George Dierberger, who started the Auggie Cup in 2023, said he is delighted but not surprised to hear these and other positive outcomes from the competition event.

“Students continue to impress with their professionalism, creativity, and work ethic. It’s more than a project for them. They come to care deeply about these partnerships and their very real-world outcomes,” said Dierberger, who is the inaugural Thomas ’72 and Karen Howe Endowed Professor for Entrepreneurship and chair of the Department of Business Administration and Economics. “It’s inspiring as we think about the importance and the impact of experiential learning on the trajectory of students’ careers and on the businesses we serve.”

In three years, the Auggie Cup has partnered 45 students with nine companies—awarding $90,000 in prize money to students. Its success led to the inaugural Augsburg Baby Shark entrepreneur contest in Spring 2025. The competition invites graduate and undergraduate students of any major to pitch a business venture that addresses a social problem. Submissions are due by April 1, and winners are announced during a celebration later that month.

“The final 10 teams present a 15-minute slide deck to a panel of ‘sharks’ (from the school’s Business Advisory Council) for the chance to win thousands in donor-funded prize money,” said Dierberger, who is also director of Augsburg’s MBA program. “Baby Shark has engaged more students in the entrepreneurial space, and students can use the prize money to start their business or pay for additional research.”

An innovative mindset

Dierberger has dedicated his life to the business sector. He led multi-million-dollar sales initiatives during his 25-year tenure at 3M before launching five companies. Teaching for the past 16 years at Augsburg has enabled him to inspire the next generation of business leaders through engaging, relevant experiences like the Auggie Cup.

Jeanne Boeh, director of the School of Business, said Dierberger is not unique among Augsburg business faculty in his professional experience: “Every one of our professors has worked in their field, and that influences their teaching and expands networks for our students.” Many universities offer entrepreneurial experiences, but it’s rare, she explained, for undergraduate students to partner with graduate students, alumni, and business leaders across industries.

“We don’t tell students how to apply their learning; we walk alongside them as they apply that learning through classes and extracurricular activities. And we are blessed with many donors, alumni, and friends who invest in our students with their time, gifts, and expertise.”

Boeh said the school’s Business Advisory Council is an active partner in fostering this synergy between campus and community connections. The group provides external perspective, reviews curricula, and advocates for the school’s programs and strategic direction.

“We constantly assess and reflect on how we can improve, and our Business Advisory Council and other partners are integral to that continued evolution,” she said. “We push entrepreneurial, hands-on learning because it prepares our students for practice and connects with Augsburg’s overall mission to apply learning to community needs.”

‘I want to provide that direction to others’

Kyle Wheaton ’99 joined the Business Advisory Council in October 2024 with a goal of helping students make connections and discover their path as early as possible.

“There’s a huge difference between passively listening to lectures about abstract business concepts and actually going through the process of building something,” he said. “It wasn’t until my junior-year internship that everything clicked, and I gained clarity about my direction. The guidance and preparation my boss provided had a profound, lasting impact on my career trajectory, and I want to help provide that direction for others.”

Wheaton said internships and experiences like the Auggie Cup “build real-world skills, confidence, and perspective that classroom learning alone can’t provide.”

He returned to campus in 2024 to offer guidance as part of Augsburg’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s Innovator Series, which features six speakers each academic year. Wheaton’s talk stressed the importance of internships and networking.

“Do as many internships as you can and use them to figure out what you truly want to do. Then, build a clear plan to get there and work the plan relentlessly,” said Wheaton, who founded Victory Innovations, which pioneered a cordless electrostatic sprayer. “Reach out to professionals in fields that interest you—ask about what they love about their jobs, what they don’t like, and how they built their careers. Those conversations provide invaluable insight.”

Augsburg now requires an internship course to ensure each business major gains guided real-world experience before graduation. Students journal to reflect throughout the course, as they work alongside professionals in their chosen field.

A relevant, industry-driven education

Newer competitions and courses complement the school’s longstanding focus on applied learning and entrepreneurial partnerships. One such program is Innovation Scholars, in which scholars work in interdisciplinary teams, much like the Auggie Cup, to create business plans or specific deliverables requested by early-stage companies and the Mayo Clinic. Jacob Enger, assistant professor of business administration, is the Augsburg contact for this six-month program, which provides each student with a $1,500 stipend upon completion.

Jeff Clement, assistant professor of management information systems, teaches the department’s senior capstone, Information Systems Projects, which partners student teams to tackle the technology challenges of community organizations. Recent projects have included improvements to the cybersecurity and accounting software of the West Bank Business Association and the document management system at Luther Seminary.

“Students act as consultants—leading the project, defining the problem, and developing practical recommendations for solutions, vendors, or software that fit the organization’s goals and constraints,” he said. “A former student in her first job after graduation shared that one of her first work assignments was to develop a workflow diagram, which was something she did in her capstone project. She was able to confidently engage, ask good questions, and get started right away. She told me it helped her make a strong impression early on, and that’s exactly the kind of outcome these hands-on experiences are designed to create.”

Clement was also involved with revision to the MBA Business Analytics course to incorporate hands-on experience using a range of AI and data-driven methods to solve real business problems. “Because our MBA students are all working professionals, many bring in problems from their own organizations,” said Clement, who previously worked as a scientific adviser for a digital health startup. “The goal is that the project isn’t just an academic exercise—it’s something they can take back to work, use immediately, and ideally leverage to make an impact and advance their careers at the same time.”

Lori Lohman, professor of marketing, has taught Marketing Research and Analysis since 1990. From the beginning, Lohman said, the course has focused on completion of an applied research project with a real client.

“I am a strong believer in learning by doing, as it’s the best way to experience what working in this field is really like. It’s easy to lecture about how to conduct marketing research and easy to take a test on the major concepts, but it’s a lot harder to apply those concepts in an actual workplace setting. Not even simulations can replicate the dynamics of what happens between a student group, a client, an instructor, and survey respondents.

“For example, students have to learn how to approach a client and ask to do a project for them, to initiate and maintain communication with them and with their instructor, to design and distribute a survey, to interpret the findings, and to make a formal presentation of the results.”

Students do this while handling the messiness that can happen in the real world, such as missed deadlines, poor communication, repeated survey edits, and slow response rates.

“It’s a win-win for everyone involved: The students gain experience, and the clients save at least $5,000 or more, which would be the cost of hiring a research firm to do a comparable study,” she added.

One of the most memorable studies her entire class conducted was for a division of a $6-billion Japanese company that was interested in introducing a new product in the United States. The company flew its CEO in from Japan to meet the students and hear their final presentation: “It was an experience the students will never forget, and the company went ahead with the product introduction,” Lohman said.

The class has also conducted research for the NCAA, Metro Transit, many of Minnesota’s professional and non-professional sports teams, and a wide variety of local businesses and nonprofits. In addition to creating products and change in those sectors, the findings have been presented at academic conferences and published in academic journals.

Many students use the findings from the course to inform the marketing plans they develop in Marketing Management, an upper-level course that also engages a real-world client. The focus on practical application is woven into the curriculum across the school, Lohman said.

An embrace of the humanities

Many of the business school’s faculty share an appreciation for disciplines outside the school. Success in business, Lohman said, requires a broad understanding of economics, sociology, psychology, writing, communication, art, and history.

“I actively encourage my advisees to take courses in the humanities and social sciences because the best businesspeople are often those with a solid liberal arts education, as opposed to those students with only a narrow business focus,” she added.

Boeh said Augsburg’s transition in 2025 from two large divisions to five schools has fostered organic collaborations across the university, which has extended interdisciplinary innovations into the community. She meets weekly with the leaders of the arts, health, natural sciences, and the humanities and social sciences.

“We are just getting started,” Boeh said in an article about the new structure, “but it’s an exciting time to be an Auggie or to partner and dream with us.”

Dierberger is also an advocate for cross-campus collaborations: “My wife is an artist, and I took a theater class in undergrad that brought theater to life for me. I still enjoy the stage and love to read and experience the arts to expand my world and perspective,” Dierberger said. “I push my students to embrace a holistic education and say ‘yes’ to new experiences. It enriches their lives and improves their ability to connect and adapt.”

Each semester, he introduces MBA students to Dave McClellan, who served as CEO, board chair, and executive chair of Cargill—America’s largest private company—from 2013 to 2023. McClellan, who earned an English degree before graduate studies in finance, stresses the importance of liberal arts to build critical thinking, sharpen persuasive communication, strengthen empathy, and deepen ethical judgement. Dierberger said it’s one of the students’ most powerful memories.

“He comes in all by himself and tells the students about his nontraditional path to the C-suite, and then he spends at least an hour answering their questions about leadership, service, and life,” Dierberger said. “He reminds us that the humanities make leaders, not just managers. [Humanities disciplines] don’t compete with a business education; they complete it.”
Harvey agrees. The Auggie Cup sharpened his transferable skills and applied his liberal arts education to evaluate evidence, make reasoned arguments, solve unfamiliar problems, and adapt to new expectations and environments.

“The experience showed me that I will not shy away from unique opportunities or challenges, even when they may seem difficult or outside my comfort zone. The competition reinforced the idea that saying ‘yes’ and being willing to try something new can lead to growth and unexpected opportunities that positively shape your career,” he said. “Communication, collaboration, and empathy are critical skills that have helped me secure multiple internships and a full-time role after graduation.”

Harvey came to Augsburg to play football, but he stayed “even after that chapter ended” because of the fulfilling, community-focused learning that has shaped him as a person and professional. After graduation in May, Harvey will move to Florida to work at Cherry Bekaert as a risk advisory associate.

Top image: Gesturing to a slide on further financial steps, Augsburg students share their ideas with an engaged crowd. (Photo by Courtney Perry)

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Earth Day is often associated with faraway places and unfamiliar landscapes. But for Madeline Aberg, assistant professor of biology at Augsburg, the natural world worth appreciating is all around.

Growing up, Aberg says she always enjoyed being outside and developed an interest in animals at a young age, frequently visiting northern Minnesota’s state parks along Lake Superior with her family. Despite her close ties to the natural world, Aberg once thought she was limited to simply enjoying it as a quiet observer.

It wasn’t until she began taking a required introductory biology course in college that she started to see a bridge between a cherished hobby and her future career.

“When the professor talked about the research that he did, ecology became a tangible career to me,” she says. “I ended up doing research with that same professor the following summer. We lived out at a prairie site and spent most of the days riding around in this truck, watching bison and observing their behavior. Helping with some of the analysis afterward really solidified my enjoyment of research and that it was something I wanted to pursue more seriously.”

Now preparing to complete her first year of teaching at Augsburg, Aberg aims to help students find their place in the urban ecosystem that surrounds campus.

A familiar fit

Having attended a small liberal arts college in Minnesota herself, Aberg always envisioned returning to a similar environment to teach. That initial desire was later solidified during her PhD program, where she found fulfillment through the face-to-face interaction of working with students while completing the required research components.

The main draw to teaching at Augsburg specifically? Its close ties to the local community.

“There’s this feeling that you’re working with students who are immediately going out and making this area better,” Aberg says. “It feels like there’s a nicely reciprocal relationship there. I was also excited by the idea of doing ecology out of a school that was in an urban environment. Oftentimes if you’re in a city, you’re not necessarily thinking of it as an ecosystem that’s around you. The idea of making those connections more evident to students was really exciting to me.”

This perspective ensures that students don’t feel their daily lives are separate from the environment, but rather that they are active participants in its health.

Coursework in action

Aberg’s courses at Augsburg range from core biology classes to more niche upper division options like Conservation Biology and Ecology. She’s also taught The Biological World, a general education course covering the whole span of biology with “a big focus on getting students to be more aware of the ecosystem that’s around them.”

Students in Aberg’s courses can expect their learning to reach beyond the classroom, with easy application to real-world issues.

“For one of our in-class activities, students wrote up a script that could be used to describe the benefits of the Boundary Waters to someone who was making a policy decision about [a mining project],” she says. “If students felt strongly about it, they could use that script to make a call.”

By providing these tools, she empowers students to turn scientific understanding into civic action.

On campus, this work continues in the Augsburg Community Garden, where Aberg has spoken with students and community members who are passionate about food justice and eager to apply ecologically backed gardening techniques to nourish the neighborhood.

By focusing on these intersections, she demonstrates that ecology is as much about people and equity as it is about plants and animals.

Equipping through ecology

Introductory biology courses like those Aberg teaches lay the foundation for many possible pathways for students to take toward a future career in ecology. She says further coursework in biology and environmental studies are good options, while taking advantage of internships and summer research opportunities with faculty members can provide the experience needed to obtain an entry level position in the field.

Aberg says one of her favorite characteristics of ecology is that “it intersects with so many other disciplines.” She emphasizes the importance of statistics and being able to code using R. Another critical competency comes through Geographic Information Systems (mapping): a skill that can be learned through Augsburg’s sociology department and urban studies program.

One thing is clear about ecology: the subject is not one-size-fits-all, nor is the trajectory toward a future career in the field.

“You could have a student who’s really interested in political science but wants to go into environmental law. Within biology, ecologists and conservation biologists are incorporating more genetics into their work. There’s a lot of potential for students who have other interests to find an intersection between their interests and ecology or conservation, both in their personal and professional lives,” Aberg says.

The dueling mandate

Aberg’s own research focuses on the “dueling mandate” of conservation: the tension between protecting natural areas and allowing for human enjoyment. By measuring the impacts recreationists have on wildlife, she seeks to provide the data needed to mitigate their footprint while still encouraging people to get outside.

Part of that is asking the question, “How do you motivate people to behave sustainably?” While answers may vary from person to person, Aberg suggests a universal theme of connection to place.

“It’s so much harder to make people care about behaving sustainably if they don’t feel that connection—if they feel like their day-to-day life is totally separate from the natural environment they live in—which is pretty easy to feel if you’re not used to tuning in and seeing the ecosystem that’s around you,” she says.

Get involved

This Earth Day, Aberg invites the Augsburg community to explore the connection between recreation and conservation. Beyond the classroom, several Twin Cities organizations offer opportunities to build that connection:

• Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board: Participate in or check out .
• Friends of the Mississippi River: Help restore and improve the health of the .
• Urban Bird Collective: Join designed for all experience levels.
• MN Department of Natural Resources (DNR): Learn beginner-level outdoor recreation skills through the or join to meet fellow nature enthusiasts.

The post An ecologist in the city appeared first on Augsburg Now.

Augsburg’s commencement ceremony includes an address by a student speaker and the presentation of two student awards. The Richard J. Thoni Award is given to one member of the graduating class whose actions, commitments, and future aspirations represent commitments to community, hospitality, and innovation. The Marina Christensen Justice Award is given to one member of the senior class whose actions, commitments, and future aspirations most profoundly exemplify Augsburg’s motto: “Education for Service.”Ěý

The ceremony recognizes candidates in Augsburg’s three doctoral, nine master’s, and three bachelor’s degree programs:

• Doctor of Clinical Psychology
• Doctor of Nursing Practice
• Doctor of Medical Science
• Master of Arts in EducationĚý
• Master of Arts in Teaching
• Master of Arts in Leadership
• Master of Arts in Nursing
• Master of Business AdministrationĚý
• Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
• Master of Music Therapy
• Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies
• Master of Social Work
• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science

Flags displayed at commencement represent sovereign nations of American Indian students and countries of the international students graduating in the ceremony.

Tickets are required to attend in person, but the ceremony will also be livestreamed via and commencement website. Follow the celebration through the hashtag #AuggieGrad on all social media platforms, where students will be sharing images of the celebration.

For more information, including accessibility information, visit the commencement website.

The post Augsburg to celebrate the class of 2026 at commencement on May 7 appeared first on Augsburg Now.