In the company of current and emeriti faculty, members of the Board of Regents, and guests, members of the faculty were recognized for 35, 25, 20, 15, and 10 years of service at Augsburg. Faculty who received tenure and promotion were also mentioned, including Kristin Anderson, Robert Cowgill, Colin Irvine, M. Elise Marubbio, Michael Schock, and Jody Sorensen.

The faculty who received awards for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and Learning by the Center for Teaching and Learning were introduced. Tracy Bibelnieks, associate professor of mathematics, received an award for excellence in teaching. Bibelnieks thanked her colleagues, saying “It is truly awesome to be surrounded by experience, innovation, and excellence in teaching.” She also expressed gratitude to the students she has worked with over the years who she said have fueled her passion for teaching. “…you are amazing individuals, you are amazing leaders,” she said.

Susan Nash, who has taught in the Rochester nursing program for 11 years, was awarded for mentoring and advising. Her colleagues noted that Nash advises more than 80 students and has been responsible for bringing back students who had at one time dropped out of the Rochester program. Nash thanked the Augsburg community, noting, “You don’t become a mentor by yourself.”

Dale Pederson, associate professor of biology, also received an award for mentoring and advising. After asking the Dean if this was a good time to ask for a raise, Pederson said, “The work I do is very much part of a team.” He thanked each member of the Academic Advising staff by name, as well as Dixie Shafer of the URGO program, for their support of his work with students.

Joyce Pfaff ’65, retiring associate professor of health and physical education, was acknowledged for her 43 years of teaching, coaching, and leadership with Augsburg. Dean Farley said Pfaff has always inspired her students and colleagues to “get up and move.” She has displayed a dedication beyond teaching, helping to establish a women’s athletics program at Augsburg and serving as the director of that program.

Pfaff talked about the history of women’s athletics at Augsburg, noting that women had to work hard to change attitudes and policies related to female participation in sports. She recalled the determination of athletes and coahces like Marilyn Florian (current assistant athletic director) who personally sewed uniforms for the women’s volleyball team when funding was not available to purchase them.

Pfaff spent one of her last semesters at Augsburg in China. Last fall, she and her husband taught physical education courses at the United International College in Zhuhai, China and helped UIC develop a fitness center and program for faculty and students.

To celebrate her retirement, the Augsburg community is invited to “get up and move,” joining Pfaff for a 43-mile bike ride beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13. In the afternoon, a reception will be held in Christensen Center at 3:30 p.m., with a program beginning at 4:30 p.m.

The luncheon ended with special recognition of Vicki Olson, who has completed her term as faculty senate president, and Diane Pike, who leaves her position as director of the Center for Teaching and Learning after this semester.

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Awards are based on evidence of student learning and student satisfaction provided by students, colleagues, and documentation. Awardees will be acknowledged at the Honors Convocation on Friday, Apr. 17 and at other events. Opportunities for winners to share ideas with the campus community will take place throughout the year following the award.

Mentoring/Advising Award – Susan Nash, Nursing (left) and Dale Pederson, Biology (center)

Sustained excellence is demonstrated through deep conversation about and attention to vocation, career and student success overall; students are guided through the processes leading to successful and timely graduation; students recognize the attention and care provided by the nominee.

Teaching Award – Tracy Bibelnieks, Mathematics (right)

Sustained excellence is demonstrated through syllabi, course materials and grading patterns reflecting effective teaching and learning; exemplary work in both content and pedagogy is supported by evidence from the department chair, colleagues and students.

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The Academy is comprised of nine regional teacher centers, each including at least one K-12 school district or education service cooperative and one higher education institution. Augsburg is partnering with Resource Training & Solutions in St. Cloud to provide training for 19 districts in Region 7. Approximately 140 teachers will participate in the program, which begins with a summer institute to be held August 11-15, 2008 at Apollo High School in St. Cloud.

Rebecca Koelln ’76 and ’91 MAL is the director of school improvement services at Resource Training & Solutions. She is excited to be working with Augsburg math professors Tracy Bibelnieks and Matt Haines as well as Education professor Linda Stevens to conduct the training for the St. Cloud area. Koelln sees the program as a way for teachers to expand their content knowledge and to refine pedagogical approaches that promote student engagement. She also hopes students will become interested in studying math and the sciences after high school.

The initial goal of the program is to prepare teachers to implement new math and science standards, which will be used beginning with the class of 2015. These standards involve introducing algebra into elementary school lessons. The centers provide training and technical assistance to help teachers implement Minnesota’s content standards, master the use of multiple instructional approaches, and improve skills to diagnose student learning needs using assessment of student performance.

Throughout the year, training will provide a continued focus on algebraic thinking with teachers involved in ongoing professional learning communities, full-day workshops, and implementation of new instructional practice. All of the activities are geared toward providing resources for teachers as they prepare their students for taking algebra in the eighth grade.

The topic for the math in-service is algebraic thinking, a recent addition in the elementary and middle school math curriculum. Leading this program gives the Augsburg faculty an opportunity to learn more about recent research on the development of children’s algebraic thinking. Stevens said, “We can then use this information in our mathematics content and methods courses for Augsburg’s students to prepare them for their future as teachers.”

Bibelnieks said, “One of the powerful pieces of the Academy is the opportunity for ‘algebra’ to become a term that no longer strikes fear into the heart of some parents and many students.” She added that the elementary mathematics curriculum includes algebraic thinking, but teachers and students don’t often recognize the skills as related to what they experience in middle school or high school as algebra. “Identifying and making algebraic thinking explicit to students can help them see the connections to what they are doing in the lower and upper primary grades and what they will do later,” she said.

“I’m not sure that you would see a significant difference if you sat in on a math class before and after the academy,” Bibelnieks added. “The mathematics content isn’t going to change. The language of the instruction, however, will be a bit different. Stevens added, “Our intent is to help the teachers recognize that deep understanding occurs when the learners are actively engaged. We will be modeling and discussion effective lesson plan structures that encourage students to develop mathematical thinking and will focus on a classroom environment that encourages students to problem solve and discuss their thinking process.”

One anticipated outcome from the learning communities is continued and sustained professional development for teachers within a school or a district. During the school year teachers will be encouraged to form teams as they prepare and study their teaching. Stevens said, “United States teachers have limited time to collaborate with others about their teaching. The principals of the teachers attending this course have committed time during the school day for the teachers to discuss the instruction and the students’ understanding.

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