The Star Tribune story “Minneapolis friends create video app that connects drivers with lawyers during traffic stops” focused on the new TurnSignl app. Two of the creators, Chief Financial Officer Andre Creighton ’19 MBA and Chief Revenue Officer Mychal Frelix ’19 MBA, are Augsburg alumni. The business plan for the app was written by an Augsburg MBA group.
Professor Andrew Aoki Co-Authors Washington Post Article on Asian American Politics
Andrew Aoki, professor of political science and senior fellow at Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship, is co-author of the timely “How to un-model a minority: A micro-syllabus on Asian American politics” in the Washington Post. In it, he and co-author Pei-te Lien argue, “In the midst of the U.S. racial reckoning, recognizing the complexity of Asian Americans can help with the task ahead.” To assist with this, Aoki and Lien have created a micro-syllabus on Asian American politics. The syllabus includes links to articles from the journal Politics, Groups, and Identities that will be available for free for a limited period of time.
Advisory: Augsburg celebrates Class of 2021 with virtual and in-person commencement
Augsburg University will host a virtual commencement ceremony Monday, May 3 to celebrate the Class of 2021, the most diverse graduating class in our history. An in-person celebration will follow on June 8.
The virtual commencement ceremony consists of a prerecorded ceremony that will be streamed online and graduates, families, and friends can watch and chat together in real time.
Visit YouTube.com/AugsburgU to watch the commencement broadcast at 6 p.m. Central. You can follow the celebration through the hashtag #AuggieGrad on all social media platforms, where students will be sharing images of their virtual celebration. Visit Augsburg’s commencement site for more details.
Find more details about the in-person commencement set for 6 p.m. June 8 at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Class of 2020 will have an in-person ceremony in May, 2022, but members of that class are able to participate in the June 8 ceremony instead if they prefer.
The 2021 day graduating class is our most diverse graduating class with 45.6% students of color. Over three years, Augsburg has seen this number increase by more than 20%.
About Augsburg
Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate degrees to 3,400 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. 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. Learn more at Augsburg.edu.
Augsburg University Cancels Classes as Verdict is Expected
Augsburg University classes are canceled immediately for the remainder of Tuesday afternoon and evening as a result of this afternoon’s verdict in the State versus Derek Chauvin trial,
Additionally, all campus activities and athletics, except those below, are canceled tonight and Lindell Library will be closed.
There will be an Augsburg staff person on hand in each location to support students. Please wear face coverings and maintain social distancing. Space is limited, so we ask that faculty and staff attend only the vigil.
- 5 p.m. vigil in the quad – all students faculty and staff are invited to attend
- Late night breakfast – 8 to 10 p.m. in the Dining Commons
In the event of a curfew, Augsburg will suspend campus operations as we have done in the past week. Resident students are still able to leave their residential unit to go to the Dining Commons for the evening meal.
For the rest of the week (Wednesday and Friday), all scheduled courses will move to remote learning modalities. As a reminder, courses meeting on Thursday this week were previously canceled.
View the different levels of response that have been coordinated with Residence Life, Public Safety, and Day Student Government.
Augsburg Cancels Classes, Suspends Operations Thursday
Given all that is happening in the Twin Cities community this week, including closing arguments in the Chauvin murder trial Monday, the likelihood of a verdict being reached in the coming days, increased police presence, and Daunte Wright’s funeral on Thursday, Augsburg has canceled classes and suspended operations on April 22.
“We recognize that one day is not enough, but it is clear that this pause offers space that our community needs, in particular our Black students, faculty, and staff,” said Paul Pribbenow, president of Augsburg University. “On Thursday, please do what you need to do to take care of yourself in the manner that is meaningful for you,” he told students, staff, and faculty.
This time of grief and anxiety comes during a pandemic that has changed how we study, live, and work, and makes the challenges of this moment even more difficult for students, faculty, and staff to navigate. Many at Augsburg will want to take time to mourn Daunte Wright, remember George Floyd, and engage in the important work of anti-racism.
Essential operations will continue Thursday. Normal class schedules and our COVID-19 modified operations will resume on Friday, April 23. During this time, Augsburg continues to monitor and communicate as needed based on developments in the trial and in our community.
About Augsburg
Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate degrees to 3,400 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. 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. Learn more at Augsburg.edu.
Augsburg Professor William Green Interviewed in PBS Story on the Chauvin Trial
William Green, M. Anita Gay Hawthorne professor of critical race and ethnic studies, was one of the experts interviewed in a PBS NewHour story on the Chauvin trial.
Green commented that, while he was hopeful, he also was concerned that there may not be lasting change, even if Chauvin is convicted. “The very nature of a trial narrows down the issue to a focus that may not deal with any kind of systemic change at all,” he said.
The story is available as a video and transcript at “Minneapolis on edge as the trial in the police killing of George Floyd approaches.”
About Augsburg
Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate degrees to 3,400 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. 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. Learn more at Augsburg.edu.
Professor Emeritus Mark Engebretson Surpasses 300 Publications
Mark Engebretson, professor emeritus of physics at Augsburg University, recently surpassed his 300th publication when three articles to which he contributed were published earlier this month:
- “Observations of Particle Loss due to Injection-Associated Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves” in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
- “Magnetic Conjugacy of Pc1 Waves and Isolated Proton Precipitation at Subauroral Latitudes: Importance of Ionosphere as Intensity Modulation Region” in Geophysical Research Letters
- “Nighttime magnetic perturbation events observed in Arctic Canada: 3. Occurrence and amplitude as functions of magnetic latitude, local time, and magnetic disturbance indices” in Space Weather
With the publication of these papers, he is now the author or co-author of 303 publications. In addition, another of his articles, for which he was lead author, was recently accepted for publication.
In October, Engebretson received his 30th grant from the National Science Foundation.
Scientific research is usually collaborative, so most of Engebretson’s publications were written in collaboration with several colleagues from around the world. Augsburg undergraduates have been co-authors of 27 of these publications, and five students have been lead authors. Engebretson’s publications have included articles in Annales Geophysicae, Nature, and Sun and Geosphere and a chapter in “The Dynamic Loss of Earth’s Radiation Belts,” among many other journals, conference proceedings, and books.
About Augsburg
Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate degrees to 3,400 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. 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. Learn more at Augsburg.edu.
Augsburg Civic Engagement Leader Directs State Higher Ed Testing Efforts
Elaine Eschenbacher leads civic and community engagement at Augsburg University, but when COVID-19 hit, she was tapped by the first lady of Minnesota and Augsburg’s president to help the state get through the pandemic. She became the higher education operations lead for the COVID-19 Testing Work Group at the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC).
“At the beginning of the pandemic, the Governor’s office was looking for professionals to fill certain roles at the SEOC and with Gwen Walz being a fellow in the Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship at Augsburg, there was a natural fit,” said Eschenbacher about how she landed the role.
In this role, she collaborates with members of the testing workgroup, leaders at colleges and universities, the team of epidemiologists at MDH that focuses on higher education, and others. Eschenbacher remains employed by Augsburg, which has a contract with the state for her time.
Read the full article at the Minnesota Private College Council Website.
Professors Margit Berman and Mark Carlson-Ghost Receive the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology President’s Award
Margit Berman, program director for Augsburg University’s PsyD program in Clinical Psychology, and Mark Carlson-Ghost, clinical associate professor at Augsburg, received the 2021 President’s Award from the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology.
The award was given to recognize their outstanding leadership during the closure of the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology, ensuring that their students and faculty found an educational home at Augsburg.
Congratulations to Auggies named to the 2020 Fall Semester Dean’s List
More than 1,000 Augsburg University undergraduate students were named to the 2020 Fall Semester Dean’s List. The Augsburg University Dean’s List recognizes those full-time students who have achieved a grade point average of 3.50 or higher and those part-time students who have achieved a grade point average of 3.75 or higher in a given term.
View the 2020 Fall Semester Dean’s List.
Students who wish to notify their hometown newspapers of their achievement can do so at their discretion using a news announcement template.