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Podcast: Augsburg Enrollment Leaders Talk College Access

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Headshots of Robert Gould and Stephanie Ruckel on a green and orange background with white text reading, "Enrollment Edge: the enrollmentFUEL podcast. Episode 45: Robert Gould & Stephanie Ruckel"Robert Gould, vice president for strategic enrollment management, and Stephanie Ruckel, director of admissions operations, joined host Jay Fedje as featured guests on a recent episode of the Enrollment Edge podcast by enrollmentFUEL. 

The episode focused on the power of direct admissions—a simplified approach in which students are admitted based on high school GPA, in some cases before they have even applied—to break down college access barriers. 

“Essentially, what we’re trying to do is remove as many barriers as we can for students, and give them the most options to enroll in whatever institution is a good place for them,” said Ruckel. “When you start thinking about the student’s perspective, you can start questioning the [admissions] process a little bit differently. Why are we requiring these things? How are we using this data? Are we using this information? 

“The challenge in doing this is really stripping down the application—making sure we are collecting what we need to collect, but keeping it as simple as possible.”

Augsburg’s participation in pilot programs with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and the Common App, as well as significant changes to the Augsburg application itself, puts the university at the leading edge of this new policy movement. 

“I want to credit the whole team,” said Gould. “We’ve literally taken the admissions process and the system and changed it in one cycle. We had some good thoughts about how it fulfilled our mission as an enrollment division, but I think more importantly, people had the appetite for it—wanting to build deeper relationships and wanting to eliminate barriers for all students.”

Listen to the episode here: Direct Admission: Unpacking College Access

Augsburg University Cancels Classes as Verdict is Expected

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Augsburg University LogoAugsburg 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

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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 Civic Engagement Leader Directs State Higher Ed Testing Efforts

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ElaineElaine 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.

Augsburg University Launches Justice for George Floyd Initiatives

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A new Critical Race and Ethnicity Studies department and a requirement that all faculty and staff complete diversity, Augsburg University logoequity, and inclusion training are among efforts at Augsburg University to combat systemic racism after the police killing of George Floyd near our Minneapolis campus. 

“We acknowledge the pain, fear, and trauma faced by the Augsburg community, especially our students, faculty, and staff of color, that was amplified in recent weeks but remains a lived reality every day,” said Paul Pribbenow, the university’s president.

The Justice for George Floyd Initiatives being planned are an important continuation of our ongoing work to build and maintain an equitable and inclusive campus. This work by Augsburg will be persistent, resolute, courageous, and integrated into everything the university does. The Justice for George Floyd Initiatives focus on working to heal our community, creating leadership and structures that make tangible change, and ensuring accountability for the work of undoing racist systems. These initiatives include:  

  • Funding an emerging proposal from faculty, staff, and students for a Critical Race and Ethnicity Studies department.
  • Completion by all faculty and staff of our robust diversity and inclusion certificate program within the next two years—and anti-racist training by the end of the fall semester.
  • Creating a scholarship at Augsburg in memory of George Floyd.
  • Establishing a fund to match donations from students, faculty, and staff to organizations doing important work, especially for Black-owned businesses and nonprofit organizations.
  • Expecting new accountability for inclusive, anti-racist leadership across the institution. 
  • Reviewing Augsburg’s major academic and administrative policies and practices with a special focus on undoing bias and discrimination and enhancing student success.
  • Creating a new blog-format daily calendar on the Equity and Inclusion Initiatives Department webpage that lists community events and volunteer opportunities connected to the memory of George Floyd. The calendar will also have a Google form available for Augsburg community members to submit information about their own events, or events they wish to have added.

About Augsburg
Augsburg University, celebrating its 150th anniversary, 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.

Videos: Faculty, staff cheer Auggies as academic year comes to an end

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Spring semester 2020 has brought us significant challenges that continue to reshape so many aspects of life.

As our academic year comes to an end this week, several departments have been sharing words of encouragement to Augsburg students. We are proud of our faculty and staff who’ve worked so hard to move their classes online in such a short amount of time and the students who’ve shown patience and flexibility during this transition.

See the videos to Auggies below created by Augsburg’s Communication Studies, Film, and New Media Communications department and by Augsburg’s Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science department.

Posted by Augsburg University on Wednesday, April 29, 2020

 

Star Tribune interview with Steve Humerickhouse, executive director of the Forum on Workplace Inclusion®

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Steve Humerickhouse
Steve Humerickhouse | Star Tribune

Steve Humerickhouse, executive director of The Forum on Workplace Inclusion®, spoke with the Star Tribune’s Gail Rosenblum about how the Twin Cities is becoming one of the largest hubs for workplace diversity and inclusion.

Augsburg University became home to the Forum on Workplace Inclusion on July 1. The Forum is the nation’s largest workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion conference designed for a national and global audience.

Humerickhouse shared some of The Forum’s resources in the article: “We hold a breakfast series three times a year and offer a series of 10 webinars attended by upward of 500 diversity and inclusion experts from around the world. We also create 24 original podcasts each year and blog out articles on social media. The conference is our flagship event, bringing in global speakers from Australia to England to South Africa.

The Forum’s 32nd annual conference is March 10 –12 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. On March 11, Augsburg’s President Paul Pribbenow will share the story of Augsburg’s journey with its many concrete implications for policy and practice.

Read the full article at the Star Tribune website.

Media Advisory: New Augsburg University StepUP Program Director an Expert on Collegiate Recovery

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Renee Most joined Augsburg University’s StepUP® Program for students in recovery from substance abuse as its new director in fall 2019, bringing her own experience as an alumna of StepUP and her 15 plus years of clinical Renee Most headshot work in the field of addiction related issues. 

“I am honored to bring my previous experience in the field of recovery to the StepUP community and to continue to strengthen this program,” she said. “My personal experience as a student in the StepUP program made clear to me the power of collegiate recovery programs.”

Renee, who attended Augsburg in 2001-2002, is available for media interviews and has expertise in collegiate recovery and many related subjects, including the opioid crisis, youth binge drinking, and eating disorders. To arrange an interview,  contact: Gita Sitaramiah, director of public relations and internal communications, 612-330-1476. 

Renee has dedicated her career to the field of recovery, serving individuals at:

  • Kodiak Recovery, where she served as Executive Director
  • The Emily Program, as a Clinical Relations Specialist
  • Assistance in Recovery, as an Interventionist and Clinical Case Manager
  • South Washington County Schools, as a Chemical Health Prevention Specialist
  • Hazelden Betty Ford, as a Chemical Dependency Counselor

Renee holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Catherine’s University, is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) and earned a master’s degree in addiction studies from Hazelden Graduate School. 

The Augsburg University StepUP Program is one of the oldest and largest residential collegiate recovery programs in the United States. The program, unique in addressing both mental health and addiction recovery, strives to help students achieve academic success, and thrive in a community of accountability and support. StepUP students fully engage in the Augsburg experience, including study abroad, varsity athletics, student government, and research, while living on campus.

About Augsburg. Augsburg University, celebrating its 150th anniversary, 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.

A Conversation with First Lady Gwen Walz and Gay Rights Advocate Randy Florke on March 26

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Gwen Walz and Randy Florke headshots Randy Florke will speak about the gay rights movement in a conversation with Gwen Walz, an
advocate in her own right for equality, public education, and prison education. Walz is the wife of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and recently began working at Augsburg. Walz and Florke met when they were both Congressional spouses. Florke is married to New York Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney.

When: Tuesday, March 26, 2019
6:30 p.m. Registration
7:00 p.m. Program with Q and A
8:30 p.m. Reception

Where:
Sateren Auditorium, Augsburg University
2200 7 1/2 Street S., Minneapolis

 

This event is free and open to the public

Get tickets at this link. Admission is free.

See Facebook event here.

*Video taping is prohibited to maintain a safe space for dialogue.

Augsburg unearths a 1965 promo video of Minneapolis

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In the 1960s, young couples enjoyed going out to eat meals at restaurants.City Pages shared a delightful 1965 promo video for Minneapolis. It was unearthed by Augsburg Digital Archivist Stewart Van Cleve. “The Minneapolis promotional film was a complete surprise,” says Van Cleve, adding that it was discovered inside a canister mislabeled “Skip Day 1947.”

Although the origins of the video are unknown, the soundtrack was written by Dick Wilson and Ray Charles, the duo behind Minnesota Twins fight song “We’re Gonna Win Twins.”

See full report at the City Pages website.

Explore more retro videos from Augsburg’s collection.