Index

Public Safety and Facilities Announcements

Teaching and Learning

EDTalk TODAY

submitted by maherk@augsburg.edu

This afternoon before the Faculty Meeting, Jenny Kluznik will speak about, “How PAs Think”: A Glimpse Into PA Education: The physician assistant (PA) profession often is listed as a top job to have in the US, but roles in healthcare are rewarding and challenging at the same time. Come take a glimpse into how students are trained within PA education to step into the role of health provider, advocate, and leader.

Zoom: https://augsburg.zoom.us/j/608510523 Meeting ID 608-510-523

Wednesday, April 17 | EDTalk with Jenny Kluznik | 3:20 p.m. – 3:35 p.m., HC 151

CTL

Faculty Scholarship Display: May 10

submitted by maherk@augsburg.edu

Join us for the Faculty Scholarship Display on Friday, May 10 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Foss Atrium. Faculty interested in displaying their scholarship should RSVP in advance of the event (and no later than May 1) using the form linked below.

Questions may directed to John Zobitz (zobitz@augsburg.edu) or Jennifer Bankers-Fulbright (bankers@augsburg.edu).

All participating faculty should arrive by 11:15 a.m. to set up.

The faculty recognition luncheon and program begins in the chapel at 12:30 p.m.

Friday, May 10 | Faculty Scholarship Display | 11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., FOSS Atrium

Display Your Scholarship

CTL Faculty Fellows – Seeking Nominations

submitted by pippert@augsburg.edu

The Center for Teaching and Learning is looking for four faculty members interested in serving as CTL Fellows. CTL Faculty Fellows assist the CTL Director in designing and organizing programs with the goal of enhancing teaching and learning at Augsburg. Fellows are also eligible for additional travel funds to spend on professional development. Nominations, both self and of your peers, should include a brief statement addressing why you would like (or why you are nominating your colleague) to serve as a CTL Fellow. Please submit all nominations to ctl@augsburg.edu by noon, April 26th.

World Drumming Course for all students, Fall 2019

submitted by schmalen@augsburg.edu

NEW Augsburg course offering, Fall semester 2019: World Drumming and Culture, a 2-credit course will meet M/W from 9:20-10:30. Engage with performance traditions from various non-Western cultures, particularly those from sub-Saharan Africa and the Diaspora. Learn through hands-on experience playing drums, bells, and rattles, by singing songs, and through improvisation and listening drills. Study the cultural context associated with each musical style through reading assignments, examination of online videos, and class discussion. Enroll for course 392-B Topics – no prior musical experience necessary.

Augsburg GRE Summer Prep Course

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Augsburg University offers a four and a half week GRE prep course each summer for Augsburg students, alumni, and staff at a cost well below those found at private test centers (due to limited capacity, this course is not available for those outside of the Augsburg network). This course is taught by experienced GRE test-prep educators and walks students through each section of the general test. Throughout the course students will have a chance to take a full-length practice test, complete practice problems for each area of the test, and receive in-depth feedback and instruction. The registration fee also includes a six-month subscription to the online GRE study tool, Magoosh.

Details:
Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30 – 8:00pm (excluding Memorial Day)
May 13th – June 12th
Cost: $100 (includes 6-month subscription to online study tool, Magoosh)

Registration Form and Additional GRE Prep Course Info

Fulbright: Live abroad after you graduate

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

The Fulbright Student Program fully funds students to study, research, or serve as an English teaching assistant abroad for a year (no classroom teaching experience required!). During their year abroad, Fulbrighters meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences. The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, allowing participants to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think.

Past Augsburg students have been selected for Fulbright Awards to countries such as Czech Republic, South Korea, Ecuador, Poland, Kenya, Malaysia, Peru, Spain, Turkey, Taiwan, and Germany (and more!), and we currently have six alums abroad through the program! Augsburg’s focus on cross-cultural engagement and community involvement makes Auggies particularly strong candidates who are well-prepared to make the most of a Fulbright experience.

If you would like to learn more about the program, please contact urgo@augsburg.edu or stop by Hagfors 101 to set up an appointment for April or May!

The competition is open to juniors, seniors, graduate students, and alumni in all fields, and a GPA of 3.0+ is considered competitive.

Introducing our 2019 Peace Scholars

submitted by hermansb@augsburg.edu

Every year, Augsburg University, selects two students to participate in the Peace Scholars Program in Norway designed to deepen students’ understanding of the central issue and theories regarding conflict, war and peace.

Congratulations to Natalie and Kristy!

Natalie Zavoral, a junior at Augsburg, studies International Relations and Communications. She is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society and is an advocate and member of the LGBTQIA+ community. She frequently attends events that seek to embolden and elevate queer voices within the city of Minneapolis. In 2019 she represented her university at the Midwest Model United Nations. Her training in International Affairs has sparked her passion for studying abroad. She is particularly interested in the policies within the Scandinavian countries and how they contribute to the overall “happiness” as well as the ongoing refugee crisis. Natalie’s senior thesis focused on intersectionality and the global #MeToo movement. She is excited to use the tool of intersectionality while participating in dialogues about peace and conflict.

California born, Minnesota raised, Kristy Ornelas is a third-year student at Augsburg University studying Political Science and History. She forms part of the Visit Coordination Team in the Office of Admissions at Augsburg as well as the Phi Alpha Theta Honors History Society. Passionate about activism, Kristy helped organized the 2018 Take A Knee Conference in Minneapolis, advocating against police brutality. She participated in the 2018 Model United Nations Augsburg delegation representing Colombia. In the fall of 2018, she formed part of the River Semester expedition traveling down the Mississippi River with 18 fellow river rats. Kristy’s aspiration to be an immigration lawyer helped her land a spot as a Peace Scholar. She hopes to learn about global peace efforts and bring that knowledge back to her community in Minneapolis.

Peace Scholars Program

Apply for Undoing White Body Supremacy Pilot Project

submitted by greena@augsburg.edu

Dear white-bodied colleagues,

Are you unsure how to respond when a fellow white-bodied person says or does something with a racist impact? Do you ever find yourself, despite your best intentions, feeling uneasy or tense when the topic of race comes up? Do you ever experience the impulse to fight, flee, or freeze in racialized moments and then struggle to navigate the shame of inaction or imperfect action? Are you eager to build loving, accountable community where we can learn to cause less harm and lean into the discomfort that comes with growth?

Learn more and apply to be part of a 2019-2020 academic year cohort of white faculty and staff learning to undo the ways white supremacy shows up in our bodies, not just in our minds. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m on Monday, May 13, 2019. Selected participants will be notified by Friday, May 17, 2019.

The Sabo Center is convening the Undoing White Body Supremacy Pilot Project in partnership with Augsburg’s Equity and Inclusion Initiatives. Contact Rachel Svanoe or Allyson Green with questions about this opportunity.

Learn more and apply

General Announcements

Scribe America is Hiring – Stop by their table

submitted by tilton@augsburg.edu

Scribe America will be tabling in the Christensen Center Lobby on Wednesday, April 17th from 10:00-1:00.

Are you interested in a career in medicine (in any capacity)? Becoming a medical scribe can get you the experience you need to stand out. A medical scribe is essentially a personal assistant to the physician; performing documentation in the EHR, gathering information for the patient’s visit, and partnering with the physician to deliver the pinnacle of efficient patient care. For someone interested in medicine, whether it is a personal interest, or part of a career goal to become a physician or physician assistant, the chance to become a Medical Scribe is unlike any other opportunity available. It offers exciting one-on-one collaboration with a physician, and is unprecedented in its level of exposure to real medicine in practice. Medical scribes also form valuable relationships with physicians which can result in letters of recommendation. Lastly, as a national company, ScribeAmerica offers exciting local and nationwide career advancement opportunities! https://www.scribeamerica.com/

Kwame-Ross Selected as Racial Justice Fellow

submitted by finders@augsburg.edu

Terrance Kwame-Ross, Associate Professor in the Department of Education, has been selected as a 2019 Institute for Teachers of Color Committed to Racial Justice (ITOC) Fellow at the 9th annual convening, to be held June 20-22, 2019 in Riverside, California. Terrance was selected for this highly selective national leadership development from a competitive pool of nearly 200 applications. Decisions were based upon a variety of criteria including evidence of racial literacy, an asset framing of communities of color, and a demonstrated potential for racial justice leadership in schools. Congratulations to Dr. Kwame-Ross.

The Forum on Workplace Inclusion Moving to Augsburg

submitted by pribbeno@augsburg.edu

I am pleased to share that, later this morning, we will announce that the Forum on Workplace Inclusion® will be moving to Augsburg University, effective July 1.

The Forum is nationally recognized for its leadership as a convening hub for professionals in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Forum’s annual conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center attracts more than 1,500 participants from around the world and is the nation’s largest workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion conference designed for a national and global audience.

By partnering with the Forum, Augsburg gains immediate visibility, recognition, and connections among corporate leaders who share our commitment to diversity and equity. The partnership expands opportunities for corporate philanthropic support, professional connections for our students, and Augsburg’s ability to help make a meaningful impact in building more inclusive and equitable workplaces. The structure of Augsburg’s agreement with The Forum was inspired by the Minnesota Urban Debate League — an Augsburg program that has modeled self-funding operations as part of a successful university program partnership.

The Forum, which was founded in 1988, has been housed at the University of St. Thomas for the past 23 years. This morning, during the opening session of the Forum’s annual conference, University of St. Thomas President Julie Sullivan and I will announce that the Forum is transitioning to Augsburg from St. Thomas, recognize the tremendous contribution St. Thomas has made in building out this program over the years, and honor the leadership of the Forum staff in this important work. A news announcement about the transition will be published on http://www.augsburg.edu/news later this morning.

The Forum staff will move this summer into open space in Science Hall, and Steve Humerickhouse, executive director of the Forum, will report to me. Working with Steve and me to support the transition are Leif Anderson, vice president and chief strategy officer; Lee George, executive director of the Strommen Center for Meaningful Work and director of corporate relations; Joanne Reeck, chief diversity officer; and Heather Riddle, vice president of Institutional Advancement. For more information about the Forum on Workplace Inclusion and the Forum team, see the link below.

The Forum on Workplace Inclusion website

Donate gently used athletic shoes and equipment

submitted by ribeiro@augsburg.edu

We are collecting gently used athletic shoes of all sizes (youth and adult) and sports equipment for all ages (balls, bats, gloves, jump ropes, clothing, etc). Our goal is to donate to the Ceder Riverside Community School and the Sports Check it Out program. Last year we donated over 100 items. You can drop your items off at the collection box in the lounge located on the 3rd floor of Kennedy Center. E-mail Dr. Ana Ribeiro for more questions.

Auggie Wins a Prestigious Boren Award

submitted by obrienk@augsburg.edu

Shamsa Ahmed, who is majoring in Political Science and is a TRIO SSS participant and Act 6 Scholar, just received the prestigious Boren Award Scholarship under the African Flagship Initiative Program. Through this award, Shamsa may spend 8 weeks this summer with a cohort of learners studying Swahili at the University of Florida, followed by 4 months of intensive Swahili language study and cultural immersion in Tanzania. All of her expenses will be paid and she will earn 24 credits. Shamsa was also awarded a Critical Language Scholarship this year!

Boren is established to teach American students less commonly taught languages and cultures in world regions critical to U.S. interests, and underrepresented in study abroad. After graduation, Shamsa will spend at least one year of paid employment in the federal government. She would ultimately like to work for USAID in foreign service. Boren recipients receive Schedule A hiring authority, which gives them preference when applying to federal positions.

Boren Scholarships can be for a 6 months to a year of study abroad or can be an 8-week summer study abroad if you are a STEM major.

To discuss making an application for a Boren Award Scholarship, please contact one of our Boren Campus Representatives: Dixie Shafer, Director of Undergraduate and Graduate Opportunity (URGO) @ shafer@augsburg.edu or Andrea Dvorak, Assistant Director of Off-Campus Study, Center for Global Education and Experience @ dvorak@augsburg.edu.

Sexual Violence Prevention Month – April

submitted by garvey@augsburg.edu

April is Sexual Violence Prevention Month.

Everyone Can Help – Bystander Intervention is recognizing a potentially harmful situation or interaction and choosing to respond in a way that could positively influence the outcome.
1. Notice the Event: People are busy, distracted, on their phones, talking, texting, not aware of their surroundings – some don’t want to notice. Pay attention to what is going on around you.
2. Interpret It as a Problem: Sometimes it is hard to tell if someone is in need of help. Error on the side of caution and investigate. Don’t be sidetracked by ambiguity, conformity or peer pressure.
3. Assume Personal Responsibility: If not you, then who? Do not assume someone else will do something. Have the courage and confidence to BE THE FIRST!
4. Know How to Help: NEVER put yourself in harm’s way but DO SOMETHING! Distract, Directly Address, Delegate.
5. Implement the Help – Act!

Thanks to Augsburg’s Sexual Misconduct Awareness Raising Team (SMART) for their advocacy, peer education, and events to eliminate sexual violence.

Augsburg has an agreement with the Aurora Center (U of Minnesota), so students can contact them for assistance. They have a 24-Hour Helpline: (612) 626-9111. Students can also get assistance through the Center for Wellness and Counseling (CWC), 612-330-1707, and the Department of Public Safety, 612-330-1717.

Summer Student Employment Opportunity with the Sabo Center

submitted by bouzardg@augsburg.edu

This summer, the Sabo Center is hosting the Place-Based Justice Network Summer Institute, a national conference for higher education institutions committed to transforming higher education and our communities through place-based community engagement.

We are seeking TWO student workers to provide support before and during the conference event as Summer Conference Hosts/Detail Managers.

Essential job functions include, but are not limited to:

*Work with Sabo staff to prepare materials for the conference.
*Manage registration tables, welcome and assist conference participants with on-campus housing and other details.
*Help direct participants during transitions and be responsive to their needs.
*Take photos at event and post to social media.

This is a short term job with hours as follows:
During the week of July 1-5, 10-15 flexible hours
During the week of July 8-12, 40 hours, less flexible. (must be available 8am-8pm on July 10-11 and 8am-4pm on July 12)

You can apply by clicking the link below.

Apply to work with the Sabo Center this summer

Augsburg Sports Bra Drive – Last Two Days to Donate

submitted by holmesa@augsburg.edu

Augsburg Athletics and the HPE Department have partnered with The Sports Bra Project to create the first ever, Augsburg Sports Bra Drive. Utilizing networks of organizations to collect and distribute sports bras, The Sports Bra Project works to eliminate one barrier of participation and increase the access to sports for girls and women around the world.

How can you help?
– Donate a new & unused sports bra of any size!
– We will be collecting donated sports bras until April 17th.
– A collection bin is located in the main athletic office in Si Melby Hall (across from the gym).

Our goal is to collect over 100 sports bras! We have received 64 donated bras already!! We are over half way to our goal and this is the last week to donate!
Please consider helping us reach our goal and supporting such an important and impactful cause!

Have questions? Contact holmesa@augsburg.edu

More information on The Sports Bra Project

Auggie Pride Awards – Taking Nominations for April

submitted by huynhn1@augsburg.edu

Staff Senate is seeking nominations for the Auggie Pride Award! The Auggie Pride Award is given to staff members who have gone above and beyond to serve Augsburg and fulfill its mission and values. Reasons to acknowledge a staff member can include a variety of things, such as the completion of a project, the implementation of an innovative idea, or simply giving directions to a lost campus guest.

If you have a colleague who you feel is deserving of this award, please nominate them by filling out the nomination form at http://www.augsburg.edu/staffsenate/auggie_pride/.

The Auggie Pride Awards are awarded monthly, throughout the academic year. More information can be found at inside.augsburg.edu/staffsenate

Staff Representative for University Council—Nominations Open

submitted by stepkad@augsburg.edu

Staff Senate is grateful for the 3-year term that elected UC staff representative, Jim Trelstad-Porter has served. As his term comes to an end we are beginning the election process for the next elected UC staff representative.

The overall Council structure is an outcome of the Shared Governance Report released in 2014. The goal is to establish advocates with deep institutional knowledge from across the campus community to provide recommendations on issues that affect the University’s commitment to its mission and values.

The selection process for the University Council Staff Representative begins with an open call for nominations from April 15–22. Nominations are received electronically from any eligible voting staff members. Self-nominations, nomination of others, and nominations for Staff Senate members are acceptable.

UC Staff Representative Nomination Form

Event Announcements

Queering Superheroes: A Gender Expression Workshop

submitted by narvaezb@augsburg.edu

The Gender, Sexuality and Women Studies Program Presents:
Thu April 18 @ the Foss Studio Theatre
Everyone Welcome

Superheroes usually use their extraordinary powers to fight villains, protect victims, and restore peace. With a few exceptions they are usually represented as Cis straight middle/upper class white men, with muscular strong able bodies, thus perpetuating hegemonic ideas about race, class, sexuality, ability and gender. In this workshop, we will challenge these ideas by creating alternative superheroes and narratives. How do superheroes who advocate for social justice and do not use violence look like? What extraordinary powers do they have and how do they use them?

Heriberto Ramírez is a Queer Puerto Rican educator and performer dedicated to anti-violence and popular education, as well as the exploration and celebration of alternative gender expressions. His alter ego Super Macho Menos, does interventions in public spaces challenging toxic masculinity.

Accident Reconstruction Lecture 4/18

submitted by aleshirn@augsburg.edu

Society of Physics Students (SPS) has invited Minnesota State Trooper Scott Smith to give a one-of-a-kind lecture on accident reconstruction. Scott will discuss the role of the accident reconstruction program within the MN State Patrol, how physics is used to investigate serious injury and fatal crashes, and where accident reconstruction is moving in the future.

This event will be on Thursday, April 18th and will be at 3:40pm in HC – 151. We hope to see you there!

If you have any questions, please email SPS President Noah Aleshire (aleshirn@augsburg.edu).

Event at Optum – Open to students for free

submitted by tilton@augsburg.edu

Optum is hosting the 2019 Society of Women Engineers, Minnesota- Professional Development Spring Seminar. The event will take place on Saturday, April 27th at our Optum office located at 13625 Technology Drive, Eden Prairie, MN. Space is limited, so register early!

Join us for a full day of professional development sessions and networking! Attend session tracks targeted to various career levels and network with fellow STEM professionals.

We are featuring two fantastic keynote speakers from Optum:

· Anu Jain, senior leader for Big Data Engineering and Data Management teams at Optum

· Heather Mickman, VP Platform Engineering + Practices at Optum.

Register and learn more how YOU can attend for FREE

Call for Proposals for Place-Based Justice Network Summer Institute 2019

submitted by bouzardg@augsburg.edu

The Sabo Center is excited to announce that this summer, Augsburg University will be hosting a national conference for the Place-Based Justice Network (PBJN), of which our institution is a member, along with 19 other higher education institutions from across the country. The Place-Based Justice Network is a learning community committed to transforming higher education and our communities by deconstructing systems of oppression through place-based community engagement with a racial justice lens.

At the Summer Institute on July 10-12, 2019, teams from universities and colleges from across the country will come together to learn, strengthen our practice, and network.

The PBJN has released a call for proposals for workshops and breakout sessions at the Summer Institute. They seek proposals for breakout sessions that center dialogue and interactivity on topics related to place-based community engagement initiatives and their planning, development, programs, evaluation and impact. Potential topics for breakout sessions include, but are not limited to:
*Scholar-activism and community-based research: examples and lessons learned
*Relationship-building and decentralized decision making
*Sustaining long-term commitments with neighborhoods and communities
*Critical scholarship on community engagement including racial justice, economic justice, education justice, disability justice, queer, and feminist theory and practices
*Lessons from community organizing
*Asset-based community development
*Power analysis and community voice
*Anti-racist storytelling strategies
*Preparing students to enter and transition out of place-based community engagement

Breakout session proposals are due Monday, May 13th, 2019 at 5pm PST.

Interested? Contact the Sabo Center for more information about how to participate and apply (sabocenter@augsburg.edu).

Place-Based Justice Network Website

Free Chipotle: Sign up for ALAS Contamination Clean Up

submitted by ricomec@augsburg.edu

Join ALAS on Earth Day, Monday April 22, 2019 from 4:30-7:00PM for our Contamination Clean Up event! With this event, we want to help create an environmentally conscience within our community and a cleaner campus. We also hope to improve animal life, while inspiring others to do the same and educate participants the difference between trash, recycle, and compost.

The goal of this event is to clean up any trash and litter around Murphy Square and Augsburg University. We will divide into different groups, where each group will be assigned a specific area to clean around campus. Each volunteer will also receive a FREE t-shirt, water bottle and chipotle!

If you are interesting in participating please sign up with the following link!

To sign up and for more information about the Contamination Clean Up please use the following link: https://forms.gle/d87zcSp45fg7HSeAA

This event is open to all Augsburg students and staff.

Sign up for the Contamination Clean Up

Keeping Track of Auggies

Sad news about Professor Emeritus of History Don Gustafson

submitted by kaivola@augsburg.edu

It is with great sadness that I write to share news that our colleague and friend, Don Gustafson, Professor Emeritus of History, passed away Sunday evening.

Affectionately know as “Gus,” he has been a member of the Augsburg community since 1961, when he began as an instructor in the History Department. He received tenure in 1968 and was promoted to full professor in 1985. Gus received the BA in History from Gustavus Adolphus College and the MA and PhD from the University of Wisconsin. His research and personal interests led him and his wife Bev on several trips to India and southeast Asia. In retirement he and Bev went twice on safari in Africa!

Colleague and interim chair of the History Department, Jacqui deVries, reflected recently on the Gus-ness of Gus: “Gus was one-of-a-kind. A devoted teacher and avid conversationalist, he enjoyed nothing better than a long chat with one of his students. Over the years, a veritable river of them made their way to his famous poison green office, with its overstuffed chair draped with a llama skin (or was it an Ibex?). Treasures and trinkets collected around the world sparked hundreds of conversations. He decorated his office for the seasons, with junk-shop finds mingling with jars of maple syrup and vases of gorgeous flowers from his gardens in St. Peter. Gus had little patience for the pedantry of academia. He was interested in sparking thought, engaging minds, and resisting norms. With a career that spanned more than a third of Augsburg’s history, he was a keeper of this community’s memory, an endless font of entertaining stories.

“Since his retirement in 2014, Memorial Hall has lost some energy and certainly much color. But Gus continued to read and travel extensively. In a January 2019 update to the History department, he reported on his latest trip — an East African safari undertaken in February 2018 — and regaled us with his admiration for David Christian’s Origin Story and Yuval Harari’s works. Gus’ spirit lives on in Hagfors, where — of all the projects he might have funded — he endowed the building’s first gender-neutral bathroom.”

Gus retired from Augsburg in 2014 after 58 years of teaching Augsburg students.

As we celebrate Gus’ life and contributions to Augsburg students, our community’s thoughts and prayers go out to his extended family and friends. Service information will be shared as we learn more.

Classifieds

Earn $55 by Sharing Your Spanish Skills – Judge Spanish Debate League

submitted by froehlic@augsburg.edu

Share Your Spanish Skills to Help Area Students!

Judge Spanish Debate – No Prior Experience Needed!

The Minnesota Urban Debate League, a program of Augsburg University, will begin its Spanish Debate League next week. We’re looking for judges for our first tournament! If you’d rather be paid than volunteer, we will pay $55 for three rounds of judging, or 1 tournament.

Spanish Debate League tournaments will happen over 3 dates this spring:

Wednesday, April 10 | Highland Park High School

Wednesday, April 24 | Central High School (tentative)

Wednesday, May 8 | Highland Park High School (tentative)

Judges will observe rounds conducted completely in Spanish, determine winners for each round, and provide comments to help students improve their reading, critical thinking and Spanish language skills.

Students who participate in Spanish Debate League are a mix of heritage speakers and immersion students in Twin Cities high schools and middle schools. Participation in debate helps students improve their academic skills, including reading comprehension and critical thinking, and increases their confidence. Be a part of creating these outcomes for our Spanish Debate League students!

Please email mnudl@augsburg.edu if you have any questions or would like to arrange volunteering as a group. If you plan on judging as an individual, use the calendar at this link to choose your dates to judge.

Sign Up to Judge