As one of 10 Minnesota colleges to receive a grant award from Great Lakes, Augsburg will use newly available funds to convert previously unpaid internships into paid placements that support learning on and off campus.

The grant award garnered media coverage in the Star Tribune article, “Giving beat: Great Lakes Higher Ed gives $5.2 million for internship grants,” and the Inside Philanthropy story, “Graduating Is Not Enough: How This Funder Is Backing Student Career Readiness.”

The post Augsburg College receives grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation appeared first on News and Media.

Travelers EDGE (Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment), seeks to increase the pipeline of underrepresented students to college, help them to graduate, and build awareness of careers in the insurance and financial services industry. This year was Augsburg’s second year as the recipient of a Travelers EDGE grant.

Travelers EDGE scholars are graduates of a high school in the St. Paul Public School District and full-time undergraduate students enrolled in the Day program at Augsburg. Students must remain in good academic standing with a minimum GPA of 2.5, demonstrate financial need, and express an interest in exploring careers in business, financial services, economics, computer science and related fields.

While in the program, students work with career coaches, communicate with a professional mentor at Travelers, and participate in financial literacy programming. Augsburg is one of 12 colleges in the U.S. participating in the Travelers EDGE program.

The post Three Travelers EDGE scholars to intern in summer appeared first on News and Media.

The Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful Work promotes the exploration of vocation, purposeful living and meaningful work by connecting liberal and professional knowledge and skills with talent, faith and core values. Through the Center, students explore career opportunities, get assistance with job searches, and find internships.

Dave Madsen is an English major with an emphasis in media writing. He is currently doing an internship at Seward Redesign, a nonprofit community development corporation that serves the Seward neighborhood. He has been working with local business owners who participate in the Seward Civic Commerce Association (SCCA) in order to write their monthly newsletter and organize meetings and events like the Franklin Frolic. He has also been doing design work for local businesses and helping with Redesign’s redevelopment processes.

Below he writes about his internship experience and the concept of “meaningful work.”

As a student in a fairly insular institution, I feel as if it may be difficult to grasp a worldview that encompasses the perspectives and knowledge of our neighbors in Seward. While it is important to build an academic foundation on Augsburg’s campus, I think that true learning—regardless of one’s discipline—comes from stepping outside one’s levels of comfort and interacting with those whose life experience aren’t limited to the walls of a college or university.

My time with Redesign has been a challenging and infinitely rewarding process of getting to know my diverse neighborhood and its commitment to self sufficiency through interpersonal relationships. Through my work with the SCCA, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with local business owners in Seward; as I conduct these interviews, I am constantly being informed and reminded of the real-world pressures of our failing economy, the deteriorating environment, and the systematic oppression against those who are not privileged.

In an effort to make socially-responsible decisions and influence my environment in a positive way, I feel as if this internship has and will continue to educate me in ways that a college class never could.

The View from Employers

Stop in to the Strommen Center on the lower level of Anderson Hall from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Students can also register during this time for free lunch with an alumni.

Monday, Nov. 15 – non-profit and social services day

Tuesday, Nov. 16 – arts and communication day

Wednesday, Nov. 17 – government day

Thursday, Nov. 18 – business and for-profit day

Friday, Nov. 19 – science and technology day

The post Explore meaningful work with the Strommen Center appeared first on News and Media.

Internships help to enhance the study abroad program, deepening student understanding of the issues they study in the classroom and giving them personal and practical experience with people and cultures. CGE sites in Cuernavaca, Mexico and Namibia have offered internship programs for a number of years. This year, both sites will expand their offerings in response to growing interest from students and internship sites. Mexico will offer year-round internships and Namibia will begin a summer internship program.

The Cuernavaca site offers several options for internships in diverse fields, and students can complete full-time internships during January-term, in a semester, over a full year, or in the summer. Part-time internships are available for students in the semester or summer programs. These placements can be combined with Spanish language study, including courses to complement the intern experiences for students in healthcare, ministry, or business.

In Namibia, a new summer program titled “Social Change and Development in Southern Africa” will provide students with an opportunity to learn about contemporary and historical issues impacting development and social change in Southern Africa. In addition to their coursework, students will be paired with a local organization dealing with education, community development, health, or social change. Participants are also engaged in experiential learning and community engagement through home stays with local families and travel seminars that take place during the program.

Internships have been a highlight for many students because they provide opportunities for hands-on learning, personal and professional development, and rich exposure to local cultures and communities. An Augsburg College student who interned in Namibia with Hope Initiative said, “I enjoyed every minute of my time at Hope Initiatives. The staff has been so flexible and willing to help me in any way. The amount of knowledge and confidence I have gained here is endless. I now feel that I am a more well-rounded teacher and have had my mind opened to all new experiences.”

An ongoing goal is to make sure that internships are reciprocal for the host organizations. Aunty Clara from Vision Life in Namibia, a small organization catering to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children, said, “[Our intern] was everything in that home for us. She taught me many things — to be patient, to look beyond [skin] color. I could see in her an angel… She wrote a proposal and we received funding from a big company in Windhoek to buy food. She made a positive contribution in our lives, and I’m grateful.”

For more information on the Center for Global Education at Augsburg, go to .

The post Internships enhance the study abroad experience appeared first on News and Media.

The annual event connects students with over 175 businesses and organizations that are actively recruiting or looking to network. This is the 31st year that this 2-day fair has occurred. For the first day, employers will have booths available at the convention center from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. to meet students, and they will interview job or internship candidates from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The second day of the fair will be used for interviews only.

To help students prepare for this event and for job searching in general, CSWL is hosting two preparation sessions. On Jan. 31 and Feb. 6, they will hold an interviewing and resume critique workshop in the Oren Gateway Conference Room. The interviewing workshop will run from 4:30 – 5:15 p.m., while the resume critiquing will go from 5:15 – 6 p.m.

For more information on the workshops and to register, stop by the CSWL office in the lower level of Anderson Hall, contact them at 612-330-1148, or visit .

For more information on the fair, including a list of participating employers, visit .

The post CSWL can help you prepare for Minn. job fair appeared first on News and Media.