Spring 2015 Archives - Augsburg Now

Many voices, bold visions

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The Augsburg College Convocation Series each year offers the community a chance to hear from outstanding leaders and visionaries who ignite important conversations and contribute to making the world a safer place for future generations. The first event held during the spring semester was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation in January, featuring collaboration among on-campus student groups and ARTS-Us, a St. Paul-based arts education organization; Dare 2 Be Real, a Twin Cities-based interracial student leadership program; and Triad:4Christ, a renowned gospel choir led by Jamar Esaw ’05.

The Batalden Seminar in Applied Ethics in February welcomed Rami Nashashibi, executive director of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network and a visiting professor at the Chicago Theological Seminary. Nashashibi spoke on “The Sociology of Seerah: Reclaiming Prophetic Tradition for Our Time and Place.”

The Koryne Horbal Lecture in March featured Janell Hobson, associate professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University at Albany. Hobson’s presentation was titled “Historical Consciousness and Black Feminist Imagination.”

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From screen to script: Auggies win big at film festival

�� — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 21:44:42 +0000

Augsburg students were recognized for their excellent work at the fourth annual Student Film Festival hosted by the Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities.

Thomas VandenDolder ’15 won Best Experimental Film for “Oblivious.”
Rebecca Schroeder ’18 won the Best Music Video award for “We Are The Art.”

This year’s ACTC festival included a new screenplay contest. Students who have participated in courses in the Augsburg Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program took home top awards in all three categories.

Michelle Herrin ’15 MFA won the Overall Excellence award for “Side Effects.”
Amanda Symes ’15 MFA received an Honorable Mention, Feature-Length Narrative for “Celia.”
Mark Woodley ’14 received the Best Short Screenplay award for “Missing.”

The festival included work submitted by students from Augsburg College, Hamline University, and the University of St. Thomas. More than 100 people attended the film festival screenings this year, and all films were created during the 2013-14 academic year.

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Wells Fargo makes $100,000 gift to the Center for Science, Business, and Religion

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In recognition of Augsburg College’s leadership in closing the higher education disparity gap for students of color in Minnesota, Wells Fargo made a $100,000 gift to the campaign to build the Center for Science, Business, and Religion. Wells Fargo joined several other corporations—including 3M and General Mills—in supporting the CSBR.

Dave Kvamme, CEO of Wells Fargo Minnesota, in a statement expressed admiration for Augsburg’s commitment to partnering with college access programs to help recruit, support, and retain first-generation and low-income students.

“We support Augsburg College’s commitment to provide opportunities for a college education for those students who may face life challenges to attain it,” Kvamme said. “We know our donation will help Augsburg be successful in developing Minnesota’s future business and community leaders.”

Did you know?

Wells Fargo also supports a scholarship program through the Minnesota Private College Fund. The fund, started in 1976, provides scholarships at each of the 17 Minnesota Private Colleges, including Augsburg.

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U.S. Bank supports student veterans and Center for Science, Business, and Religion with $125,000 gift

�� — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 21:42:39 +0000

Augsburg College and U.S. Bank celebrated the opening of the new U.S. Bank Veterans’ Lounge on campus with a dedication ceremony this fall. U.S. Bank recently pledged $125,000 toward the building of the Center for Science, Business, and Religion at Augsburg, and the College recognized the contribution to the campaign by granting naming rights to the Veterans’ Lounge.

The renovated space, located in Oren Gateway Center, honors the contributions student veterans have made to their country. U.S. Bank and Augsburg College are nationally recognized as top supporters of veterans and military families. Augsburg was named a 2015 Military Friendly® School for its ongoing efforts to provide transitioning veterans the best possible experience in higher education.

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Augsburg receives Carnegie Foundation’s Community Engagement Classification

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Augsburg College has earned its second Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Institutions are recognized based on evidence of their collaboration with the larger community, which:

enriches scholarship, research, and creative activity;
enhances curriculum, teaching, and learning;
prepares educated, engaged citizens;
strengthens democratic values and civic responsibility;
addresses critical societal issues; and
contributes to the public good.

Augsburg was one of only eight Minnesota colleges or universities recognized in 2015. The College previously received the Community Engagement Classification in 2008.

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Augsburg earns dual national community service honors

�� — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 21:41:24 +0000

Augsburg was the only Minnesota college or university named a finalist on the Corporation for National and Community Service’s 2014 Interfaith Community Service Honor Roll as well as on the Corporation’s General Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction.

Augsburg is one of only four colleges out of hundreds of applicants nationwide to be named a finalist in the interfaith category, an honor recognizing institutions that support exemplary community service programs, promote greater interfaith cooperation, and raise the visibility of effective practices in campus-community partnerships.

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Bush Foundation grant supports diversity in teaching

�� — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 21:40:51 +0000

Augsburg College’s Department of Education was awarded a $150,000 grant from the Bush Foundation through its Teacher Effectiveness Initiative. The award will be used to fund a project that builds the College’s capacity to recruit and support students of color as they work toward a degree in teaching. Augsburg was one of only five higher education institutions selected to receive this one-time award.

Augsburg’s Department of Education Chair and Associate Professor Margaret Finders will lead the project in partnership with Minneapolis Public Schools, Minneapolis Community and Technical College, and St. Paul Public Schools. This team will create a coordinated, sustainable infrastructure that will recruit high-quality teacher candidates and reduce attrition. This infrastructure will help the partner institutions engage in proactive recruitment of teacher candidates of color from multiple entry points, improve experiences for teacher candidates of color, and foster smooth transitions into teaching.

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Day at the Capitol

�� — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 21:39:38 +0000

During the 2013-14 academic year, more than 34 percent of all Augsburg undergraduates—1,054 students—received Minnesota State Grants totaling more than $3.4 million. This February, Augsburg College students and members of the larger Twin Cities community met at the Capitol with their respective representatives and advocated for the Minnesota State Grant program. Augsburg’s StepUP® program, the EAST (East African Student to Teacher) program, Student Financial Services, Multicultural Students Services, and Athletics partnered to recruit and train students before the event. The students’ agenda included a policy and lobbying briefing with comments from House and Senate members representing Augsburg and a breakfast with alumni legislators followed by a meeting with representatives.

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128 Auggies exhibit at the American Swedish Institute

�� — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 21:37:17 +0000

Led by Assistant Professor of Art Christopher Houltberg, 128 students and six Augsburg faculty members contributed to a collaborative exhibition, Shaping Peace, at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. The project is a collaboration involving the disciplines of art and design, English, music, political science, and religion.

Shaping Peace, a visual exploration of the past 128 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, is on display from February 28 through May 24 and aims to broaden the awareness of the Nobel Peace Prize. The interactive installation encourages viewers to actively participate in exploring the history of the prize by contributing their own ideas surrounding the concept of peace.

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Presidential sculptures undergo restoration

�� — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 21:34:56 +0000

From 1888 to 1890, Jacob Fjelde, a Norwegian portraitist and creator of public monuments, sculpted busts of Augsburg College Presidents Sven Oftedal and Georg Sverdrup. For many years, the sculptures were housed in the College’s original Main building and Old Main before being relocated to the Marshall Room in Christensen Center. As time passed, the sculptures had become dirty, scratched, and damaged. In fact, the bust of Sven Oftedal had even fallen off its pedestal, which resulted in a broken nose.

In 2014, the sculptures were properly restored for the first time in 125 years. They are now on display in all their glory in Lindell Library. All of this work has been supported by the Nydahl Family fund, which was created in 2006 to celebrate the history of Augsburg and the Lutheran Free Church on campus.

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