(MINNEAPOLIS) — Twin Cities businesses and nonprofits are invited to partner with Augsburg College as part of the institution’s three-year, Career Ready Internship Grant made possible by a grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation. The partnership seeks to create more than 220 new, paid student internships during the 2015-18 academic years.

The College’s Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful Work will collaborate with organizations to offer the internships beginning in January 2016. The more-than $447,000 in grant funding will be used for student internship wages, transportation and administrative support.

“We’re excited to build new partnerships with Minnesota businesses and nonprofits to provide the kind of internships organizations want and that students need,” said Keith Munson, director of the Strommen Center. “We know that Auggies are ready to apply and practice what they are learning in the classroom. These are juniors and seniors who know how to work across disciplines and with persons of varied backgrounds and faiths. And, with a student body that is more than 35 percent students of color, we can help businesses continue the important work of diversifying their workforce.”

Munson credits the success of the first grant to the formation of a cross-campus implementation team. The Strommen Center worked with staff and faculty from Business Administration, STEM Programs, Sabo Center for Citizenship and Democracy, Masters in Business Administration, Graduate Admissions, Alumni Relations, Corporate and Foundation Relations, and the Office of Institutional Advancement to identify prospective employers.

Augsburg was one of 33 colleges and universities in Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin that garnered a combined $12 million in 2015-18 Career Ready Internship Grants from Great Lakes to make internships more equitable for students with financial need. The College previously received a $150,000 grant that created nearly 60 paid internships for students with financial need in 2014-15.

To learn how a business or nonprofit can partner with Augsburg, please visit .

About Augsburg College

Augsburg College offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and nine graduate degrees to nearly 3,600 students of diverse backgrounds at its campuses located in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and in Rochester. Augsburg College educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. The Augsburg experience is supported by an engaged community committed to intentional diversity in its life and work. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings.

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When the College on September 28 hosts the dedication ceremony for the new , the event not only will celebrate the generosity of the Strommens but also how the entire Augsburg educational experience prepares students for post-graduate success.

The Center originally was established in 2009 and was located in Anderson Hall. A recent gift from Mrs. Strommen meant the College could move its career and internship services to the Christensen Center. Now just steps from the admissions office suite, the Center is the first stop on the College’s campus tours for prospective students and their parents. Tours begin with a discussion of how the an Augsburg education prepares students for meaningful work.

“Parents want to know that their investment in an Augsburg education will lead to employment,” said Marissa Machado, senior associate director of admissions. “When student ambassadors take families on a tour of campus and showcase the Strommen Center as an initial talking point, they ‘connect the dots’ between the Augsburg degree and successful job placement.”

New location puts College commitment at campus core

The more visible and accessible location on the main level of Christensen Center places at the campus core the College’s commitment to student success beyond graduation. The Strommen Center’s renovated and re-imagined space will actively promote purposeful living and meaningful work by connecting liberal arts and professional knowledge with talent, faith, and core values.

The planning and construction of the Strommen Center [pictured] occurred during spring and summer 2012. The relocation of the Center was an important component of Augsburg’s commitment to make the best use of its existing space through the Campus Space and Master Plan, which was described earlier this month in the story.

College welcomes new director

In addition to announcing the Strommen Center’s new location, Augsburg College is pleased to welcome Keith Munson as director of Career and Internship Services for the Strommen Center for Meaningful Work effective October 25. “Keith will lead our exceptional team dedicated to providing the internship, career, and vocational services our students and alumni require,” said Amy Gort, assistant vice president and dean of arts and sciences. “We expect students to seek out these services now more than ever due to the Strommen Center’s new, highly visible location. Career and internship services will be the keystone for the Center, which lives out Clair and Gladys’ personal commitment to vocation each and every day.”

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