The colloquium highlights different aspects of leadership from a variety of corporate and nonprofit settings. Students are encouraged to research topics which they themselves have faced in the workplace. A member of the Augsburg faculty advises each student’s project from the creation of the hypothesis to the final paper.

This year’s topics include executive turnover in the chamber of commerce industry, transformative leadership experiences, leading through change in a health care setting, funding and employee retention in nonprofit organizations, the teaching and training of entrepreneurs, and more.

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The colloquium serves as a showcase of student creativity, highlighting explorations of every angle of leadership. Students are encouraged to research topics they are passionate about and which they themselves have faced in the workplace.

“I admit that the reason I was first interested in my topic of how a leader’s behavior can affect subordinates was that I experienced one of ‘those’ bosses first hand,” said Chris LeDuc as she introduced her topic. Her research showed that leaders’ conversations containing “personal consideration” with subordinates had the strongest correlation to workers’ organizational commitment.

Scott Brink, who spoke on how local government agencies can adapt more readily to economic climates and technological change, also fashioned his topic from challenges within his work environment. Faced with budget cuts, unfunded mandates, and an exhaustion of areas in which to economize, he was looking for new strategies to apply to his work.

A member of the Augsburg faculty advises each student’s project from the creation of the hypothesis to the final paper. Norma Noonan, who has headed the Leadership program for the last 18 years, reflected on the professional level with which students approach their projects. “Leadership skills, specifically regarding vision, persuasion, and action, are addressed in every course. Even though I know our students are receiving this training, it is still quite amazing to see the culmination of this effort at work in students’ research projects. Knowing that our students have honed skills that are invaluable to non-profit and for-profit organizations is a rewarding feeling.”

Colloquium presenters and their topics:

(Back row)

Lisa Wocken – How Dialogue, Discussion, and Debate Manifest in a Corporate Setting

Scott Brink – Complexity Theory and Local Government Application

Terrance Burns – The Bible and the Ballot: The Christian Right in American Politics

Debra DeRosa – Communication Satisfaction and Part-time Employees in a Park and Recreation Organization

(Front row)

Chris LeDuc – Relationship between Leader Behavior & Subordinate Organizational Commitment in Higher Education Administrators

Mhonpaj Lee – Optimizing Interpreter Services in Hospitals and Clinics

Susan Phillips – Youth Development in the Activism Context: a Case Study of the Wilder Youth Leadership Initiative

Patricia Brill – Innovation Through Social Networking in Communities of Practice

Article by Nancy Shaeffer

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The panel will discuss Minnesota legislative changes from 1971 to 1978 instituted in part by Governors Wendell Anderson and Rudy Perpich. Discussion will also focus on local and national events and how Republican legislators in the 1960s influenced the changes that would take place in Minnesota in the 70s.

This colloquium is the first of a series of events sponsored by Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning. The Sabo Center, led by sociology and urban studies professor Garry W. Hesser, seeks to encourage student civic engagement and leadership through instruction in the democratic process.

In addition to highlighting the contributions of Augsburg alumni to the state and the nation, Hesser hopes the series will encourage students to pursue careers in public service.

The Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning Colloquium

“The Transformation of Minnesota Politics in the 1970’s: People, Policies, and Progressivism”

2 p.m.

Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center

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