Augsburg University

Opening Convocation looks good on you, Auggies. 🥰

Can you believe it's been a week since Auggie Days began?! We hope our first years have started to find their people, their rhythms, and a sustainable sleep schedule. You're rockstars. 🦅

For those on campus, join us for a memorial to honor the Loveliest of Trees behind the Hagfors Center at 4 p.m. on Friday, 8/30. https://loom.ly/JZ7coZI

Hope you've had a great first day of class, Auggies! We're off to a great start.

We will certainly miss The Loveliest of Trees.

OBITUARY FOR A TREE:
On August 26, 2024, the eve of the new fall semester, lost one of its most charismatic community members. A plains cottonwood (𝘗𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴), it was widely known as The Loveliest Of Trees, and was absolutely deserving of that moniker. Despite having survived decades of brutal Minnesota winters and countless summer storms, the decay that had set in to the heartwood of this peerless giant meant its trunk could not support its towering canopy during the 70 mph wind gusts of the overnight storm.

This is a sad day for Augsburg University: No longer will we be able to watch a bald eagle take flight from the regal branches of The Loveliest of Trees. No longer will students be able to find communion in its comforting shade. No longer will its downy seeds collect in drifts that signal the hazy magic of summer on campus. No longer will its golden leaves blanket the community garden at the end of harvest season. But a plains cottonwood was always meant to have an ephemeral existence, being a fast-growing pioneer species of the Mississippi River floodplain.

A new sapling might take its place in our urban arboretum, and grow to shade us anew, but this that we have now lost, this will always be The Loveliest of Trees.

We’re positively buzzing with excitement for fall semester! There’s lots of changes that happened over the summer for the Strommen Center so stay tuned over the next few weeks as we share them (and prizes are involved).

The path from a community college to a graduate program can seem long and daunting. But students transferring to a private college for their bachelor’s degrees are tapping into resources to personalize their education plan and take the next step to reach their career goals. We talked with students who transferred to Augsburg University, The College of St. Scholastica and Hamline University before heading onto grad school. https://www.mnprivatecolleges.org/news-events/news/community-college-grad-school-driven-passion

Augsburg's Class of 2028 and our transfer students are looking great in front of Old Main! We're pumped to have you here.

As move-in continues, Campus Ministry and Multicultural Life are out and about welcoming new students to campus! We’re thrilled you’re all here. 🎉

We are beyond excited to present Augsburg University Advancing Religious Pluralism Faculty Fellows Application 2024-2025

Augsburg University's Interfaith Institute, Religion and Philosophy Department, and Center for Teaching and Learning received a grant to implement a year-long faculty cohort focused on a campus wide effort on teaching religious diversity and pluralism. We invite full-time Augsburg University faculty to apply for the fellowship program. Limited fellowships are available and fellows will receive a stipend.
Faculty from any department are encouraged to apply.

Link to application here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeI5ma2nslQ0GiBye90DwHMj7PbReoS08rbVZGnFWRbP-yEDQ/viewform

So incredibly proud of "Mo" Muhiyadin Aden, PA-S '24 and Vanessa Bester, PA-C, EdD, DFAAPA for sharing their expertise to shape the future of healthcare!

With school starting, we want to shoutout our ESL teachers across the Twin Cities and beyond! Wondering if becoming an English as a Second Language teacher is right for you? Watch this video to hear instructors and students share how much they love our programs:

ESL Education at Augsburg University Why should you choose an ESL teaching degree at Augsburg University?

We love seeing these faces on campus!

Congratulations to Erin Boe '23 M.A., who has been named the 2024-25 Minnesota Art Educator of the Year! "I credit this award in large part to the extremely progressive and equity-focused teacher's program I received at Augsburg," Boe says. https://loom.ly/KPAFBNA

Auggie athletes have started to move in! We can't wait for their seasons to start. 🦅

Also, we're celebrating 100 years of Augsburg Athletics all year long, both online Auggies and in person at our 100th Anniversary Tailgate Party during Homecoming on October 12! Details: https://loom.ly/Jka_DMs

We asked our Auggies what they've been up to during summer break, and this is what they had to say!

We're thrilled to welcome students and families to campus for Familias Unidas: Latinx College Orientation! Today, guardians and parents will participate in bilingual college readiness workshops to learn about resources and tools to support their students, while student attendees will participate in community-building workshops to gain a greater sense of connection with our Latinx student community at Augsburg.

We're exactly two weeks away from Auggie Days, and we cannot WAIT to get to know our newest students. 🎉 Your orientation leaders, community advisors, AugSem leaders, and Augsburg staff and faculty members are prepared to have a blast kicking off the school year with you all.

Can't wait to have you playing for Augsburg!

After a season playing for the North American Hockey League's Colorado Grit, Wilder Jacober is on the move to college hockey.

Recently, the Carbondale native committed to NCAA Hockey Division III Augsburg University, a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference school located in Minneapolis, Minn.

READ MORE HERE: https://www.coloradohockey.net/news_article/show/1315670-carbondale-native-grit-alum-jacober-heading-to-college-hockey-with-ncaa-d-iii-augsburg

Aspen Junior Hockey | Colorado Rampage Hockey

Today's installment of Augsburg's year-long series features Auggie legend Edor Nelson '38!

Excited to have you on campus, Cohen!

Meet Cohen Scott, one of the winners of the Florence Copper Creating Opportunities Scholarship!

Cohen is a graduate of San Tan Foothills High School and plans to attend Augsburg University to study kinesiology. He shared how his scholarship will help him give back to the community with his degree: "I am incredibly grateful that I will have the opportunity to continue to play baseball in college and will take the encouragement and guidance I have received from this community and school with me...I hope that my future allows me to return to the community that encouraged and helped me grow and give back to the schools and sports teams by helping with training, coaching, and educating students on their bodies."

Since our scholarship program was established in 2011, Florence Copper has awarded more than $91,000 in scholarships to talented students in Florence and surrounding communities to help them pursue higher education. We are proud to continue supporting our local students this year!

Florence Unified School District Taseko

My first question to myself and others is always, ‘Whom do we serve?’" Learn more about Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz and her work as a special assistant for strategic partnerships at Augsburg: https://loom.ly/L8m08D8

An educator and catalyst for change - Augsburg Now In 2019, Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz joined Augsburg University as special assistant to the president for strategic partnerships and as a fellow in the Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship. But Walz’s connection to campus began long before she was born, when her mother stepped out of rural...

With Governor Tim Walz in the national spotlight, President Paul Pribbenow spoke to the Star Tribune about Minnesota's First Lady Gwen Walz's work as a special assistant for strategic partnerships at Augsburg. "She shows up and does her homework," he said. https://loom.ly/t5m41pA

Who is Gwen Walz? A mom, a teacher and an adviser to her husband Gov. Tim Walz’s wife of 30 years has proven to be a key political partner, even as she’s fought the “first lady” stereotype.

As we soak in the last few weeks of summer break, we're wondering how you've spent your time off, Auggies? Been crushing your internship? Surviving the heat? Or learning something new? Let us know in the comments!

We've been missing our Auggies this week. Eager to have the student energy back on campus!

Calling any high school seniors, college students, or recent graduates interested in exploring a future in education!

Breakthrough Twin Cities is hosting a Professional Development and Opportunities Fair for Breakthrough Twin Cities and Breakthrough Minneapolis Teaching Fellows and alumni. Connect with a wide range of organizations and discover exciting opportunities for your future career. This event is designed to help you network, learn, and explore various professional pathways.

Visit different tables to learn about teaching and graduate programs, jobs and internships, take professional headshots, and hone your resumes and interview skills.

Join us August 7th at Mounds Park Academy from 2 - 4pm to explore and connect around your career potential.

Can't wait to see you there. Please share with young people in your network!

Black Men Teach Twin Cities, Uplift Movement, University of St. Thomas School of Education, Augsburg University Education Department, College of Education and Human Development UMN, Metro State University Minnesota Office of Higher Education Aspiring Educators - Education Minnesota

Campus is in full bloom! It's almost August, and the community garden looks gorgeous—don't you agree?