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.
In his latestHuffington Post article, Harry Boyte, Augsburg’s Sabo Senior Fellow, discussedspecialeducation and how it has become part ofa “new” civil rights movement.
In the article, Boyte saysthatAugsburg College is a school that has gotten it right.
“The Augsburg special education program, dedicated to changing the entire special education profession from an approach which seeks to fix “problem kids” to an empowering pedagogy called Public Achievement which develops their public skills, is an outstanding example,” Boyte wrote in the article.
Winner will advanceto Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
(MINNEAPOLIS) – Fifty middle- and junior-high school students from throughout the seven-county Metro area will compete at Augsburg College in the 2015 regional spelling bee on March 21 at Hoversten Chapel at Augsburg College.
The winner of the regional spelling bee will be sent by Augsburg College with a parent or guardian to the Scripps National Spelling Bee () scheduled from May 24-29 in Washington, D.C.
Event Details
Schedule
11 a.m. – Registration
12:30 p.m. – Competition begins
Event ends when all but one speller is eliminated, typically within 4-6 hours from the start of competition.
Head Judge: Dennis Bluhm has served as the Head Judge for the State Spelling Bee for the past 12 years. He has served during the past 45 years as an elementary school principal and teacher. Currently, he teaches 6th grade in St. Paul.
Pronouncer: David Talarico has been an official spelling bee pronouncer since 2006. He lives in Minneapolis, and works for Shapco Printing.
Augsburg College is set in a vibrant neighborhood at the heart of the Twin Cities, and offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and nine graduate degrees to more than 4,000 students of diverse backgrounds. Augsburg College educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.The Augsburg experience is supported by anengaged communitythat is committed to intentional diversityin its life and work. An Augsburg education is defined by excellencein the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and valuesof the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings.
Jim Miles ’14 MBAwas featured by the Hibbing Daily Tribune for publishing his first book and launching a digital publishing company.
Miles’book, “Hero,” is based on a comic book superhero-type but is written in novel form. In the Daily Tribune article, he describes it as a“genre-breaking novel for middle readers.”
Wrobel Street Publishing, Miles’ new company through which he published his novel, wasnamedafter hisfamily members.
Miles holds a master’s degree from Augsburg College.
Brent Peroutka ’02was featured in the Faribault Daily News due to his career in finance and community achievements.
Peroutka, who is a financial advisor at Comprehensive Wealth Solutions in Faribault,says the best part of his day is helping his clients achieve their goals.
“We can make a difference each and every day, whether it’s at home, at work, or in the community,” Peroutka said.
Peroutka holds a business administration/finance degree from Augsburg College and a master of business administration from St. ThomasUniversity.
Mai Vang ’14appeared in a Pioneer Press articleabout the increase in socio-economic achievementsfor those in the Hmong community in the Twin Cities.
Vang,who’s family settled here in the 1970s, said hard work and determination has brought increasedsuccess for herself and others in the Hmong community in recent years.
Her parents, Vang said,motivated her to “…go to school and be successful.”
Vang holds a bachelor’s degree in sociologyfrom Augsburg College.
U.S. President Jimmy Carter, an honored Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, spoke at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum on March 6.
U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who was an honored Laureate featured at the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Forum, spoke with Minnesota Public Radio prior to his presentation to a sold-out crowd of 650 delegates to the Forum. Carter spoke with MPR’s Tom Crann about the lack of world leaders who are peacemakers.“We don’t have a global champion of peace like Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King Jr. or Mahatma Gandhi now,” he told Crann. “None of the government leaders who represent the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are notable for promoting peace.” Listen to “.”
Rev. Mark Hanson, left, moderates a panel at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum with Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye.
Minnesota Public Radio last week interviewed ImamMuhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuyeabout their journey from mortal enemies to dear friends. The two men, each who headed religious militia in Nigeria, shared their story of reconciliation and forgiveness at the .“The same energy that we use to promote division we are using it now constructively,” Wuye said in the interview with MPR’s Tom Crann. Listen to the interview, “.”
Sabrina Fiester ’15 wasmentioned in a Minnesota High Tech Associationarticle that described her role in a legislative receptionheld by the Twin Cities-based organization.
Fiester interns through theSciTechsperience Internship Program, which connects college students studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics withpaid internships. She met with others in the science and technology community to discuss scientific innovationat the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Augsburg College was mentioned in a Wall Street Journal article onnewdata that shows arise in employment rates for recent college graduates.
With more than 67,000 participants in the nationwide First Destination Survey conducted by theNational Association of Colleges and Employers, results showthat more thanhalf of 2014 graduatesfound employment within six months of graduation.