Spring-Summer 2018 Archives - Augsburg Now /now/tag/spring-summer-2018/ Augsburg University Tue, 03 Jun 2025 21:01:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 Inspired Design /now/2018/05/29/inspired-design/ Tue, 29 May 2018 16:17:04 +0000 http://www.augsburg.edu/now/?p=8637 “Augsburg sees science as a search for meaning, a collaboration with nature, and a quest for quantitative understanding.” This statement was captured in a 2007 “science credo” authored by Augsburg faculty in the sciences. The credo proclaimed that Augsburg’s science programs should: Emphasize science in context, seeking out and developing intersections among departments and programs.

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“Augsburg sees science as a search for meaning, a collaboration with nature, and a quest for quantitative understanding.”

This statement was captured in a 2007 “science credo” authored by Augsburg faculty in the sciences. The credo proclaimed that Augsburg’s science programs should:

  • Emphasize science in context, seeking out and developing intersections among departments and programs.
  • Underscore the purposeful practice of science as an essential ingredient to citizenship.
  • Use Augsburg’s urban setting to highlight the relevance of science in our call to serve our community.
Wall with a list of all the Donors that contributed to the Hagfors Center building
The Hagfors Center was made possible by the generosity of more than 1,200 donors, whose names appear on a glass wall outside one of the ground-floor classrooms.

This visionary thinking sparked the imagination of faculty leadership across disciplines and led to a vision for a new building concept: a center for science, business, and religion that would not only replace Augsburg’s outdated science facilities, but would foster interdisciplinary collaboration and embody

Augsburg’s commitment to its community. That vision came to life this past January with the grand opening of the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion, a signature academic building that celebrates Augsburg’s historic roots, contemporary relevance, and promising future.

Exterior photo of the new Hagfors Center on a snowy dayExpressive of History, Responsive to Place

Colorful Accents

The exterior colors of the Hagfors Center reflect Augsburg’s Norwegian heritage, connect the decades of architecture represented on campus, and espouse the vitality of Augsburg’s urban setting.

Neighborhood

Photos of the colorful buildings in the neighborhood surrounding Augsburg
The Hagfors Center design complements the colorful residences in the neighborhood surrounding Augsburg.

Campus

Photos of the variety of bricks and colors on campus
From Old Main to Oren Gateway Center, Augsburg’s campus comprises architectural styles from various decades.

Heritage

Inspiration for the color accents comes from images of brightly colored homes and buildings in Bergen, Norway.
Map showing Hagfors Center location on campus
The Hagfors Center anchors the west side of campus, providing new green space that will connect with the quad after the removal of Science Hall and create an open east-to-west pedestrian flow through to Murphy Square.

Placemaking

The Hagfors Center front doors open onto a brand new roundabout at the west end of South 7th Street, with a direct view to the main entrance of the Foss Lobeck Miles Center and the atrium of Hoversten Chapel. Inside the building, the west wing extends from the lobby at a diagonal that runs parallel to Riverside Avenue. It connects with the north wing in an “open-arms” embrace of the community garden, where neighbors and members of the campus community grow food, build relationships, and engage in hands-on learning experiences.

A Celebration of Cultures and Faith Traditions

Gundale Chapel is named for Elnar Gundale ’33, who emigrated from Norway to the United States in 1930 and studied at Augsburg College and Seminary. He was ordained in 1937 as a Lutheran Free Church pastor and served several parishes for nearly 60 years. He and his wife, Catherine, raised six children (four of whom attended Augsburg). Their daughter, Evangeline, and her husband, Norm, are the named benefactors of the Hagfors Center. The multicolor glass sculpture that hangs in the Gundale Chapel incorporates textile designs from contemporary and ancient cultures and religions. The sculpture also includes glass panels without patterns—suggesting the future of Augsburg yet to unfold—as well as smudges, blurring, and distress to imply imperfection in the world, past and present.

Students gather in a common space to study in Hagfors Center
Photo by Gaffer Photography

Collaborative Problem-Solving Long-Term Innovation

Unbounded Study

For many years, several Augsburg science departments had dedicated learning and gathering spaces in Science Hall. Augsburg incorporated these “department homes” throughout the new building—providing interactive learning spaces for all science, business, and religion students and faculty. The building also boasts multiple casual learning spaces, which are popular among students of all majors. In fact, during finals week in December 2017—before the building was even officially open—students filled the whiteboard walls in these spaces with notes and equations as they studied together for semester finals.

Hands-On Learning

Student studies in a lab in Hagfors Center
Photo by Gaffer Photography

The Hagfors Center’s expanded labs provide space for real- world experiments that take longer than a traditional 4-hour lab period. Its grow rooms allow students to cultivate plants for lab courses using modern plant science methods. There are modern meeting rooms for presentations with local businesses and entrepreneurs, aquaria that provide a hands-on experience with marine aquatic creatures like algae and sponges, and a food lab where students study the physics, chemistry, and social impact of our food systems. There’s even a collaborative makerspace where students build rockets, explore 3-D printing, and more.

From the southern view from Hagfors Center you can see the green roofSustainable Design

The Hagfors Center is designed to meet the standards for silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, a globally recognized symbol of sustainability. The building has two green roofs—one on a flexible, ground-floor learning space and another above the front entrance canopy.

During construction, Augsburg exceeded its goal of awarding more than 10 percent of the project’s contracts to women- and minority-owned businesses. To ensure the building can adapt to evolving needs over the coming decades, each wing was built on a standard grid that allows walls to be reconfigured to create larger or smaller spaces as requirements change over time.

Word pairings in the skyway of Hagfors Center

Word pairings in the skyway of Hagfors Center
The skyway glass art, “Both/And,” was created by artist Teri Kwant and sponsored through the generosity of Augsburg Board of Regents member Karolynn Lestrud ’68.

Unexpected Pairings

In the skyway that connects the Hagfors Center with the James G. Lindell Library, custom glass etchings bridge disparate disciplines, both figuratively and literally. The etchings, which also make the skyway glass bird-safe, feature unconventional word pairings, such as “define divinity” and “love density,” that are designed to make people think. The skyway was funded through the generosity of John R. Paulson and Norma L. Paulson, whose family also sponsored the skyway link from Sverdrup Hall to Lindell Library.

Accolades and Kudos

2018 Project of the Year
—Design Build Institute of America-Upper Midwest Region

“… Hagfors Center exceeds expectations.”
­­—The Echo, January 19, 2018

“The Hagfors Center makes Augsburg more competitive.”
—Neal St. Anthony, Star Tribune, March 3, 2018

“Augsburg is one of the most thoughtful, reflective partners that we’ve ever had.”
­­­—Bill Blanski, design principal, HGA Architects, Finance & Commerce, January 19, 2018

“We focused on our heritage … experiential learning, our diversity, and our call to serve. That resonated.”
—Mike Good ’71, Augsburg regent emeritus and campaign chair for the Center for Science, Business, and Religion, Star Tribune, March 3, 2018

Start to Finish

From groundbreaking to grand opening, construction of the Hagfors Center took 22 months, and was completed on time and under budget.

Groundbreaking for the Hagfors Center Construction of the Hagfors Center Construction of the Hagfors Center Installation of the glass for the Hagfors Center Install of the skyway of Hagfors Center Construction of the round about in front of the Hagfors Center Construction of the Hagfors Center Construction of the Hagfors Center Stair case murals being painted in the Hagfors Center Faculty move into the Hagfors Center Faculty moving into the Hagfors Center Green room in the Hagfors Center Ribbon Cutting at the grand opening of the Hagfors Center

 


[Top Image]:  The Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion is the largest academic building on campus. It houses multiple academic disciplines, including biology, business administration, chemistry, computer science, economics, environmental science, mathematics and statistics, physics, psychology, and religion. Several of these departments previously occupied space in Science Hall, which is located across 21st Avenue.


Web Extras:

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Welcome to America /now/2018/05/29/welcome-to-america/ Tue, 29 May 2018 16:16:40 +0000 http://www.augsburg.edu/now/?p=8646 Katia Iverson refuses to say “maybe.” She used to say it a lot, as a novice caseworker, unwilling to share disheartening news. But experience has vanquished the word from her vocabulary. “When a mother asks whether her kids qualify for assistance, and you respond with, ‘Well, maybe’ when you know the answer will become a

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Katia Iverson refuses to say “maybe.”

She used to say it a lot, as a novice caseworker, unwilling to share disheartening news. But experience has vanquished the word from her vocabulary.

“When a mother asks whether her kids qualify for assistance, and you respond with, ‘Well, maybe’ when you know the answer will become a ‘No,’ you give those families false hope,” she said. “It’s much better to be direct and clear: ‘Yes, we can help’ or ‘No, we can’t,’ and if we can’t, let’s not waste time and instead figure out a solution—together.”

Iverson is part of a team of 15 “ex-maybe-ers,” who each year assist roughly 400 people—from world-class bodybuilders and doctors to farmers, models, and priests. She and her colleagues guide this cross-section of humanity through securing living arrangements, establishing benefits, landing jobs, and plotting out bus routes to school. Her clients couldn’t be more varied—some are single, while others have 13 children; some speak five languages, while others cannot read or write.

But they all share the same status: refugee.

Each fled their home country because of persecution based on race, religion, ethnicity, social group, or political opinion. They applied for refugee status from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which verified their claims. They applied for resettlement in the United States through a years-long screening process before the U.S. Department of State invited them to pursue a direct path to citizenship.

They arrived on planes, welcomed by strangers.

“No one wants to be a refugee,” said Iverson, a team manager for the Minnesota Council of Churches’ Refugee Services. “Many have lived in terrible conditions and experienced unimaginable trauma. Nearly everyone dreams of returning to their homeland—to the family and friends who speak their language, observe their customs, and prepare familiar foods.

“Being a refugee is their last option.”

Iverson helps refugee families through the steps of resettling in Minnesota, from renting a house to helping children acclimate to their new homes.
Iverson helps refugee families through the steps of resettling in Minnesota, from renting a house to helping children acclimate to their new homes.

The 90-day challenge

Refugees resettling in the United States come through a state agency or one of nine voluntary agencies that have cooperative agreements with the State Department to provide reception and placement services. Minnesota Council of Churches’ Refugee Services has welcomed immigrants to Minnesota since 1985, and Iverson has done so on its behalf since 2013.

“The clock is ticking from the time refugees walk off the plane. We have 90 days to help them start their lives in Minnesota,” said Iverson, who has welcomed hundreds of refugees to America’s shores. “The federal government provides slightly more than $900 per person to get each family started, but we rely on the support of faith communities, nonprofits, and individual volunteers to help these newcomers gain self-sufficiency.”

Iverson is glad to work in one of the more welcoming U.S. states, with Minnesota having resettled more than 90,000 refugees since 1970. But increasingly critical rhetoric around refugees has made life on the front lines tough as the 28-year-old struggles with landlords hesitant to rent to “those people” and discrimination at new arrivals’ workplaces or schools.

Increasing day-to-day challenges thicken amid confounding regulations and tightening policies. For the 2018 fiscal year, for instance, the federal government has capped refugee admissions nationwide at 45,000—the lowest in decades—and arrivals aren’t even on pace to reach half that number, according to the United Nations.

“There is fear and uncertainty, but for me, the toughest part of the job remains the short window of time I have with families,” Iverson said of her three-month timeline. “To make real progress, clients need to be open, but they have been telling their life story—almost on autopilot—for years, and trust doesn’t come easily for many of them, especially with strangers.”

Building trust among the doubtful

Ahmednor Farah has seen Iverson knock down walls of resistance. For four years, the native Somali worked alongside Iverson as a resettlement case manager and interpreter. Katia can flip a switch, he said, from boundless compassion—crying alongside a despairing client—to sober sincerity when she has to administer doses of reality. Clear boundaries within an expanse of empathy is the job.

“Katia’s role is challenging, and only a person with her integrity can deliver the way she delivers,” said Farah, who now works as a human services representative for Hennepin County, where he said low-income families, including refugee arrivals, apply for food and cash benefits. “Katia managed to learn Somali, as the majority of her clients were Somalis, and she pushes back at the systems working against these families to make sure they receive equitable and just support.”

Her family has witnessed Iverson’s devotion. Younger brother, Luke
Iverson ’15, roomed with Katia for several years. He comforted her when she would worry about “families not making it” and understood when Katia had to cancel plans in order to meet a new arrival or help negotiate with a landlord.

Minnesota has the highest number of refugees per capita nationwide, according to the U.S. Census and refugee-support agencies. With 2 percent of the nation’s population, Minnesota has 13 percent of its refugees.

“Sometimes Katia would leave the house at 11 p.m. to head to the airport, but she’d always be at work by 8:30 a.m. the next day, following up with those clients or others,” said Luke, a financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial in downtown Minneapolis. “Her life is unconventional, but it is the times of deep connection and joy that I believe feed her the most and remind her why she is doing this work in the midst of a climate that fights against her and these families.”

It’s all worth it, Katia said. “There is challenge and sadness in my job, but the positive far outweighs any negative. The resilience of these families is incredible. They are so present and bring with them long-held traditions—how to heal when we don’t have a doctor nearby or how to provide emotional healing to one another— that adds a richness to our world. They invite me into a deep foundation of wisdom, and that is a gift.”

A heart for service, a passion for others

Katia was meant for this work. From a young age, her parents drove their four children from the predominantly white suburbs of Minneapolis to engage in missions in the Phillips neighborhood and other low-income areas.

This focus on service inspired Iverson to enroll at Augsburg University, nestled among some of the state’s most prominent refugee settlements. She was an international relations major until her introductory class focused on “the way nations and leaders interacted rather than the humans living in those nations,” Katia said.

Mid-year, the then-first-year student headed to the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, during which world leaders and peacemakers interact with students and community members. Waiting for a keynote to begin, Katia struck up a conversation about career options with fellow Auggies sitting near her.

A voice popped into the conversation: “I’m Professor Frankie Shackleford, and I’m developing a new major: cross-cultural studies. You should consider it.”

Katia spoke with the professor of Norwegian—and continued to talk for four years—about the influence language has on our world and the insight people gain when they imagine life through others’ perspectives.

“I continue to rely on the lessons I learned at Augsburg as I consider the impact of my work and what I bring to each home,” said Katia, who went on to participate in the Forum’s Peace Scholars program and graduate magna cum laude. “I am constantly analyzing the energy I bring, the questions I ask, and the way I ask them. I strive to be respectful and curious, to dress appropriately for each culture, and to make clients laugh.

“Laughter is universal to all people, and it is key to my work. Intercultural interactions provide constant opportunities to laugh when we say or do something a bit off,” she added. “But when both the client and I come with a generous spirit, the response is laughter rather than offense or anger.”

Ahmednor Farah and Iverson show a newly relocated refugee family how to ensure the gas burners on the stove are safely turned off.
Ahmednor Farah and Iverson show a newly relocated refugee family
how to ensure the gas burners on the stove are safely turned off.

Refining her skillset

Katia is comfortable being uncomfortable, which she credits to those formative mission experiences that empowered her to become a peer mediator in elementary school and then the first white student on the Maple Grove Senior High School Diversity Council.

She embraced new opportunities at Augsburg—traveling abroad and enrolling in the Bonner Leaders Program, now the LEAD Fellows Program. Her brother, Luke, joined Katia in the service-based, work-study experience that empowers undergraduates to integrate civic engagement and leadership development into their studies. Katia said the experience honed her ability to adapt, problem-solve, and relate to others.

Every year, more than 70 courses at Augsburg include an embedded service-learning component. Students average 25 hours per semester in service-learning experience directly connected to course objectives and learning goals. Elaine Eschenbacher ’18 MAL, director for Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship, said the Iversons’ experiences reflect the transferable skills and culturally relevant outcomes the program is designed to inspire.

“Our LEAD Fellows are engaged in long-term, in-depth community-based work, and these opportunities are funded, which opens the door for many students who are often unable to engage in service learning because they need to pay the bills,” said Eschenbacher, who guides the 35-40 fellows each year. “Community partners are confident in our students, and some have empowered undergraduates to develop programs like an eight-week nutrition education class for Somali mothers. This is real, impactful work.”

Progress emerges from collaboration

At Augsburg, the two eldest Iverson siblings shared a focus on those in need but it is a bond with younger sister, Natalie Iverson, that more recently has emerged. Natalie is a secondary ESL teacher at Hmong College Preparatory Academy, a K-12 charter school in St. Paul. As it turns out, several of Natalie’s students are from families Katia serves as a case manager.

“It makes me realize how powerful it would be if all systems were in communication, where a teacher could talk to a family’s caseworker and vice versa. I update Katia about a student, and she communicates it with those families, making the families feel seen, welcomed, and supported,” said Natalie, who works with students 11-20 years old. “I can offer her my advice as an educator when she’s got families struggling with school, and she can offer me perspective when I am lesson planning.”

Earlier this year, for example, Natalie mentioned to Katia that she was teaching English vocabulary about household problems families might need to communicate to their landlord. Katia offered Hmong, Karen, and Thai language resources related to tenants’ rights, then followed with an age-appropriate presentation she modified from one designed for parents.

The sisters maintain that immigrants are the greatest gift our society never knew it needed, and that we should lean into their stories and customs, rather than fear the unfamiliar. Katia urges people to do what they can, from welcoming a new family to the neighborhood, teaching English, writing elected officials, or sponsoring a refugee family through church. The possibilities are endless, Katia said, and there is a way for everyone to welcome others to our nation and set them up to become successful citizens.

It’s not work; it’s a calling

Has this work changed Katia? Yes.

“Although her life is busy, and she is always moving, there are so many still moments of intimate spirituality in her work,” Natalie said of her sister. “Her work allows her to see people in all stages of their lives, both in a literal sense, and in a vulnerable, human sense. And I don’t think anyone can stay the same because of that.”


[Top Image]: Katia Iverson ’12 encourages a new arrival from a refugee family as he practices his English.

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Building Bonds, Strengthening Community /now/2018/05/29/building-bonds-strengthening-community/ Tue, 29 May 2018 16:16:15 +0000 http://www.augsburg.edu/now/?p=8635 This year, John and Kristian Evans started their Thursday mornings off right … and left. At the 6 a.m. DinoMights practices in the Augsburg Ice Arena, young players sometimes put their hockey skates on the wrong feet or jerseys on backward, focusing more on catching up with teammates than on the logistics of assembling picture-

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This year, John and Kristian Evans started their Thursday mornings off right … and left.

At the 6 a.m. DinoMights practices in the Augsburg Ice Arena, young players sometimes put their hockey skates on the wrong feet or jerseys on backward, focusing more on catching up with teammates than on the logistics of assembling picture- perfect uniforms. As a volunteer coach, Kristian describes the weekly 10-minute rush to outfit 20 elementary schoolers for the ice as “pure chaos.” After he and his fellow coaches ensure that skate laces are cinched tightly against players’ tiny ankles and the kids are safely in their gear, these volunteers prepare for a new challenge: channeling the young athletes’ enthusiasm into a successful practice.

“It’s crazy how much energy the players have in the morning,” Kristian said. “It’s never a problem to wake them up; it’s always me who’s the sleepy one.”

Fortunately, the players’ spirited attitudes are contagious, according to the Auggie, who is studying communication, marketing, and political science. “They act like a shot of caffeine,” he said.


John Evans and Kristian Evans standing side to side, posing for the photo
[L to R]: Kristian Evans ’19 and John Evans ’82
It’s helpful that DinoMights practices leave Kristian with a boost of energy. The third- year student was enrolled in a full course load at Augsburg this fall and used his time outside the classroom to intern at a U.S. senator’s office, serve as a sports editor for the Augsburg Echo student newspaper, do play-by-play announcing for Auggie soccer teams, and promote the Nobel Peace Prize Forum—Minneapolis as a student member of the Forum’s marketing team.

Volunteering for DinoMights, Kristian said, was a way to carve out time in his schedule for one more thing he loves: hockey. DinoMights builds relationships with at-risk youth in South Minneapolis
through hockey teams and training, tutoring and academic support, mentoring, and spiritual development opportunities. As one of approximately a dozen nonprofit organizations that lease athletic space at Augsburg each year—from the Cedar- Riverside Community School to the Minnesota Sports Federation broomball state tournament—DinoMights benefits from access to quality facilities that are otherwise scarce in the Twin Cities.


A passion for hockey—and for Augsburg—runs in the Evans family.

John, for instance, has been skating at the university for nearly 40 years. The Augsburg Athletic Hall of Famer played for Auggie men’s hockey teams that won four Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championships in 1981 and 1982.

While earning two national titles was a thrill, John now looks back on his college days and acknowledges that it’s the relationships he developed with teammates, classmates, and faculty members that truly influenced his life. “It’s the friendships you remember,” he said.

Decades ago, John chose to attend Augsburg because he wanted to live and work in Minnesota’s urban core and was drawn to the school’s pioneering emphasis on experiential education.

Today, as fathers and sons go, John and Kristian appear to be more alike than different. Both men played hockey in Norway; John signed a pro contract after Augsburg, and Kristian played there following high school. When Kristian was searching for a college after his junior hockey eligibility expired, at first he thought he’d go to school anywhere but Augsburg, wanting to venture farther afield than his dad and mom, Joan (Moline) Evans ’83. Kristian’s desire to take an entirely new path soon gave way to the revelation that Augsburg’s metropolitan location and commitment to community involvement were a perfect fit for him, as well.

And, much like his father, Kristian values the power of Auggie friendships. In January 2017, he was diagnosed with cancer, underwent surgery to remove a tumor, and began chemotherapy treatments to rid his body of any remaining cancer cells. He continued to attend Augsburg full time and learned to lean on his roommates for support, whether he needed help shaving his head after he began to lose his hair or someone to accompany him to chemo appointments.

“I have friends who’d walk with me in the middle of winter to the East Bank hospital where I received care and sit with me for three hours before they had class,” Kristian said. “You don’t get that with every group of people, and that fact is never lost on me.”

With his cancer in remission, Kristian sees his role with DinoMights as a way to strengthen an important network for Twin Cities youth who face challenges ranging from navigating life as first-generation Americans to living in single-parent households.

“It’s amazing to be part of a group that says, ‘We understand that you’re going through some tough stuff, and we will help you in whatever aspect of your life means the most—whether that be through athletics or through faith or through education,’” he said. “That’s why we build communities of support—so that when one of us falls, there are other people who are willing to step in.”

For Auggies like John and Kristian who’ve come to embrace Augsburg’s commitments to vocational discernment and civic engagement, DinoMights is just one example of the power of transferring the University’s educational framework to a real-world application. “If you can make one corner of your community better, then you can say you’re doing your part,” Kristian said. “This is what Augsburg teaches when it comes to vocation.”


[Top image]: Kristian Evans ’19 helps a member of the DinoMights Squirt team prepare for hockey practice. Players are 10 or 11 years old.

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The Best is Ahead /now/2018/05/29/the-best-is-ahead/ Tue, 29 May 2018 16:15:47 +0000 http://www.augsburg.edu/now/?p=8640 Since arriving in 1975 as a first-year student, Jeff Swenson has built a storied legacy at Augsburg University. Swenson was a national wrestling champion as a student and joined the Augsburg coaching staff upon graduation. He then spent 25 seasons as one of the most successful amateur wrestling coaches in the U.S. As athletic director

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Since arriving in 1975 as a first-year student, Jeff Swenson has built a storied legacy at Augsburg University.

Swenson was a national wrestling champion as a student and joined the Augsburg coaching staff upon graduation. He then spent 25 seasons as one of the most successful amateur wrestling coaches in the U.S. As athletic director since 2001, he has led the athletics program through a period of unprecedented growth and improvement.

Now, Swenson is playing another key role at Augsburg as Sesquicentennial Steering Committee co-chair, shaping the anniversary festivities planned for the 2019-20 academic year. In a recent interview, Swenson shared his perspectives on the University’s 150th anniversary as well as the importance of academics and civic engagement for student-athletes and why he’s proud to be an Auggie.

Despite all of the achievements for Augsburg and Swenson, he feels the best is still ahead. “I’ve never been more excited about Augsburg than I am today.”

150 Augsburg University Sesquicentennial logo You are a co-chair of the sesquicentennial committee. What do you hope this milestone anniversary will do for Augsburg?

It’s a great time to celebrate our rich history: 150 years, wow! That’s really something special. I’m hoping the sesquicentennial allows us to celebrate the past but also to look toward the next 150 years of Augsburg University. It’ll be a great time to bring people together: faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of the institution. Selfishly, I’m looking forward to celebrating athletics’ place in the school’s history. In the past two decades, we were the first university in the state to start a women’s hockey team and a women’s lacrosse team. Last year, we made the playoffs in eight out of 10 sports—the most ever in school history.

Augsburg athletes are intentionally called student-athletes. How do you support academic achievement?

They’re students first. Every one of our athletes gets a day off of training and games. Professors do understand the demands of students involved in athletics, and they work with the students to help them succeed. Ultimately, our goal is that all students graduate in four years. We want to recruit prospective students and tell them and their families that our students graduate in four years with high achievement in their courses. Our student-athletes’ cumulative GPA averages 3.23, and we’re proud of that.

I understand there is increased collaboration between student-athletes and other student groups. What’s behind that, and what do you hope will develop from this partnership?

It’s very intentional, and it’s one of my goals, along with President . Our 2017–18 student body president BK (Bashiru Kormah) ’19 really pushed for it. BK is on the Augsburg men’s soccer team, and he organized a gathering at the president’s house of student-athletes and members of other student groups to talk about experiences and collaborative opportunities. Fostering an even more unified campus culture is hugely beneficial, and I think we’re doing that. We’re very involved with living out the University’s mission in the daily life of athletics.

Augsburg is called as an institution to serve our neighbor. What’s the role of community service in athletics?

Community service can have a major lifelong positive impact on student-athletes. I will always remember one of my community service opportunities as an Augsburg student. I held a boy who had a severe cognitive disability. I bounced him on my knee, and my objective was to get him to smile. To this day, I remember that experience as much or more than any of the football games or wrestling matches I was in. The Augsburg athletics experience is really well-rounded. All of our student-athletes and coaches participate in at least one community service activity each year. Jane Becker, our head volleyball coach, is our director of athletic community service and engagement. Because of her efforts, we do many more community service activities than in the past. In the 2016–17 academic year our athletes finished with 4,652 community engagement hours and participated in the largest food drive on campus, collecting 410 pounds of food. We are on track to reach or exceed that amount for 2017–18.

As Augsburg prepares to commemorate 150 years, what stands out for you?

All the relationships stand out for me—from the time I was a student-athlete here and then throughout my career. I’ve seen 10 buildings constructed on campus, worked for four presidents, and held nine job titles, but it would all come down to the relationships more than anything else, including relationships with my coaches, students, faculty colleagues, and my teachers.

How has Augsburg evolved as the University approaches the sesquicentennial and what makes you proud to be an Auggie?

I love that Augsburg is student-centered. We’re at the forefront of society’s changes. We’re inclusive. We’re accepting. We’re innovative in our work. I think the focus in those areas has enabled us to stay ahead of our competition and is why students continue to choose Augsburg.

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Augsburg instructor featured in Time Magazine /now/2018/05/29/augsburg-instructor-featured-in-time-magazine/ Tue, 29 May 2018 16:15:03 +0000 http://www.augsburg.edu/now/?p=8606 The January 29 issue of Time magazine acknowledged the record-breaking number of women engaged in political campaigns this year and featured photos on its cover of nearly four dozen womenrunning for office. With them was Leah Phifer, an Augsburg adjunct faculty member who teaches courses on politics, policy, immigration, and political methodology. Phifer, who at

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Shot of the Time Magazine cover including dozens of womenThe January 29 issue of Time magazine acknowledged the record-breaking number of women engaged in political campaigns this year and featured photos on its cover of nearly four dozen womenrunning for office. With them was Leah Phifer, an Augsburg adjunct faculty member who teaches courses on politics, policy, immigration, and political methodology.

Phifer, who at the time was running for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor nomination for the 8th district seat of the U.S. House of Representatives, was approached for the Time magazine cover story because of her involvement with VoteRunLead, an organization that provides candidate training to women of all parties for local and state level offices. Phifer has served Minnesotans through her work at the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.


[Top image]: Leah Phifer teaches Political Statistics and Methodology during Spring 2018.

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Notes from President Pribbenow /now/2018/05/29/notes-president-pribbenow/ Tue, 29 May 2018 16:14:27 +0000 http://www.augsburg.edu/now/?p=8602 There are many ways in which higher education is a leap of faith. Students come to campus brimming with curiosity and promise. Faculty and staff meet them where they are and seek those connections that lead to genuine learning. And, if all works as intended, promises are kept, learning happens, and our mission to educate

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There are many ways in which higher education is a leap of faith. Students come to campus brimming with curiosity and promise. Faculty and staff meet them where they are and seek those connections that lead to genuine learning. And, if all works as intended, promises are kept, learning happens, and our mission to educate students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders is advanced.

Easy, right? Or maybe not, because more often than not, those promises, that learning, and our mission are embedded in the daily, mundane, and sometimes messy interactions and intersections that define our lives together.

One of the cornerstones of our educational leap of faith is the importance of the unexpected conversations and experiences that transform our learning and our lives. These serendipitous moments are at the heart of every aspect of our work at Augsburg. Serendipity is built into our curriculum, which emphasizes experiences in which students face the unexpected—in the classroom, the laboratory, the neighborhood, and around the world—with the belief that they will be changed and equipped for their vocations. It’s in campus life, where our remarkably diverse students are challenged in their daily interactions with each other to imagine what a vibrant democracy looks like—the unexpected ways in which people of different backgrounds and faiths and perspectives learn to live together.

And it’s also in the ways we are designing campus spaces and facilities, including the remarkable Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion— which is highlighted in this issue of Augsburg Now. Nearly half of Augsburg’s faculty now call the Hagfors Center home, and, day by day, they are interacting with each other, forging new and unexpected relationships that are leading to new courses, new research projects, new ways of connecting students and faculty to the neighborhood. Students are making themselves at home in the building, enjoying departmental neighborhood spaces as well as group study rooms. There is an energy in the building that is itself serendipitous—who knows what unexpected connections will be forged to keep our promises, expand learning, and advance our mission.

What are your serendipitous moments at Augsburg? Send them to me at augpres@augsburg.edu, and we’ll share what we learn in a future issue of Augsburg Now. In the meantime, thank you for taking the leap of faith that defines an Augsburg education!

Faithfully yours,

Paul C. Pribbenow, President

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Celebrating student success /now/2018/05/29/celebrating-student-success-5/ Tue, 29 May 2018 16:14:06 +0000 http://www.augsburg.edu/now/?p=8587 Augsburg students earned a range of prestigious accolades during the 2017-18 academic year, including the following: Record six Augsburg students receive Fulbright awards Holly Kundel ’19 is named 2018 Goldwater Scholar Abdulkadir Sharif ’20, Bri Luetkahans ’19, and Jubilee Prosser ’19 named Critical Language Scholars John Kipper ’20 and Erika Idrovo-Cuesta ’19 accepted to Public Policy and International

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Augsburg students earned a range of prestigious accolades during the 2017-18 academic year, including the following:

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Augsburg Named Champion School by Special Olympics Minnesota /now/2018/05/29/augsburg-named-champion-school-by-special-olympics-minnesota/ Tue, 29 May 2018 16:13:38 +0000 http://www.augsburg.edu/now/?p=8616 This fall, Augsburg was honored as Champion School of the Year by Special Olympics Minnesota. The award is given to a school or university that outperforms expectations in terms of student leadership, campus involvement, and unified sports—a program in which athletes with intellectual disabilities train and play sports together with partners without intellectual disabilities. According

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Augsburg student-athlete plays baskeball with Special Olympic athleteThis fall, Augsburg was honored as Champion School of the Year by Special Olympics Minnesota. The award is given to a school or university that outperforms expectations in terms of student leadership, campus involvement, and unified sports—a program in which athletes with intellectual disabilities train and play sports together with partners without intellectual disabilities.

According to Devin Kaasa, competition and training manager for Special Olympics Minnesota, Augsburg was selected for the many ways it supported the Special Olympics organization in 2016–17, including:

  • Participating in a unified rivalry with Hamline University, where the universities competed in flag football and unified basketball;
  • Engaging in significant volunteer activity, including at the Fall Games, where the Auggie football team  filled volunteer spots in bocce and softball;
  • Holding a “Respect Campaign” and inviting Special Olympics Global Messenger Patrick Elmore to speak about his experience of school bullying;
  • Hosting “Special Olympics Week at Augsburg” in January 2017 with multiple activities and events; and
  • Taking the Polar Plunge at Bde Maka Ska (Lake Calhoun) to raise funds.

“Augsburg went above and beyond with its participation, and continues to exceed expectations with the program,” Kaasa said.

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Commencement 2018 /now/2018/05/29/commencement-2018/ Tue, 29 May 2018 16:13:11 +0000 http://www.augsburg.edu/now/?p=8614 Augsburg University celebrated students completing degrees in the traditional undergraduate, adult undergraduate, and graduate programs during commencement ceremonies held April 28. The morning ceremony recognized 441 undergraduate students, and the afternoon ceremony honored 497 adult undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students. The class of 2018 was the first class to graduate from Augsburg University.

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Augsburg University celebrated students completing degrees in the traditional undergraduate, adult undergraduate, and graduate programs during commencement ceremonies held April 28. The morning ceremony recognized 441 undergraduate students, and the afternoon ceremony honored 497 adult undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students. The class of 2018 was the first class to graduate from Augsburg University.

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Augsburg Receives Funding for River Semester /now/2018/05/29/augsburg-receives-funding-for-river-semester/ Tue, 29 May 2018 16:12:47 +0000 http://www.augsburg.edu/now/?p=8612 Augsburg University received $30,000 from Pentair for the River Semester, a high-impact educational program that combines rigorous coursework with an immersive field experience. Sixteen students will travel in four large voyageur-style canoes and camp alongside the banks and on the islands of the Mississippi River between Minneapolis and Memphis, Tennessee, from August to December 2018.

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Augsburg University received $30,000 from Pentair for the River Semester, a high-impact educational program that combines rigorous coursework with an immersive field experience. Sixteen students will travel in four large voyageur-style canoes and camp alongside the banks and on the islands of the Mississippi River between Minneapolis and Memphis, Tennessee, from August to December 2018. All participants in his hands-on learning experience will earn 16 credits.


Photo by Stephen Geffre

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