Monday, February 3, 2020

submitted by mulvihil@augsburg.edu

I am pleased to announce that Angela Bonfiglio has been promoted to ISSS Program Director. In this role she will oversee and coordinate services for Augsburg’s international students and scholars, supporting their academic success and facilitating their adjustment to Augsburg University and life in the United States. She will also take over as the Primary Designated School Official (PDSO) for Augsburg’s F-1 student visa program and as a Responsible Officer (RO) for J-1 exchange visas. As the PDSO, she has final responsibility for Augsburg’s compliance with federal visa regulations.

Angela previously served as Augsburg’s International Student Advisor, and she brings a host of other skills and experiences to the job. She has served as both a church youth director and a co-chair of the Harrison Neighborhood Association. She is also a CGEE alum!

Please join me in congratulating Angela on this well-deserved promotion!

submitted by mckinnes@augsburg.edu

If so, STEM Peer Mentoring wants you!

STEM Peer Mentoring is a student-led mentoring program that focuses on providing support to First-years and Sophomores as they navigate their academic and professional careers in STEM.

Having a mentor in STEM Peer Mentoring can be a major benefit in establishing the success of your STEM career. If you’re a First-year or Sophomore in a STEM major, interested in having a mentor, and want to learn more about internships, scholarships, certain classes, etc. — this is for you!!

Augsburg’s STEM majors include:

-Biology
-Biochemistry
-Biopsychology
-Chemistry
-Computer Science
-Environmental Studies
-Mathematics
-Physics

Students are matched according to their major and information they provide on the STEM Peer Mentoring Application (see link below!).

Generally, students are asked to commit about 3-4 hours/month of involvement as they meet one-on-one with their mentor and attend occasional group meetings.

Please apply! Complete the application below by Thursday, 2/20. Any questions can be sent to stempeer@augsburg.edu.

Link to Application

submitted by lapakko@augsburg.edu

Faculty: on Tuesday, February 11 and Tuesday, February 25, Augsburg will be hosting Twin Cities Forensics League tournaments on our campus. If you’d be interested in judging a round or two at either or both meets, I can hire you to judge at $20 per round! There are eleven standard events at these competitions, including public address events (such as informative speaking and persuasive speaking) and oral interpretation events (such as prose interpretation and poetry interpretation). Rounds are scheduled at 3:30, 4:45, and 6:30. If you’re interested, all you might need is 5 minutes of training. Contact me (David Lapakko, Director of Forensics, lapakko@augsburg.edu) if you are interested.

submitted by bouzardg@augsburg.edu

Staff Senate is now accepting nominations to honor outstanding staff and outstanding newcomers at Augsburg University! Nominations for the Outstanding Staff and Newcomer Awards will be accepted from February 3rd through February 21st. Nominations are welcomed from any current member of the campus community – staff, faculty, or student. Submission materials are due no later than 5 p.m. on February 21st.

The Staff Appreciation Program is intended to recognize staff members who have made an important contribution to the campus community over the past year. Recipients of the Outstanding Staff Award provide exceptional service to others, work collaboratively across divisions or departments, demonstrate a clear commitment to equity and inclusion, and enhance the objectives of their department and the mission of Augsburg University through creativity, innovation, and hard work.

The Newcomer Award recognizes a staff person who has made a significant impact on campus life in a short amount time. Staff who have been at Augsburg for 2 years or less (as of February 1, 2020) are eligible to receive this award.

Staff Senate will award five Outstanding Staff awards and one Newcomer award in a presentation on the afternoon of March 26th. President Pribbenow, with the support of his leadership team, will also present an award to an outstanding department or group.

Check out the Staff Senate website for the nomination process: https://inside.augsburg.edu/staffsenate/staff-appreciation/

The 2020 Staff Appreciation Event will take place on Thursday, March 26, 2020, from 3:30-5 p.m.

Staff Senate Website: Outstanding Staff Nomination

submitted by mckinnes@augsburg.edu

Are you interested in participating in a new NSBE group here at Augsburg? NSBE, which stands for ‘National Society of Black Engineers’, is a national organization designed to support and promote the aspirations of collegiate, pre-collegiate, and professional individuals in engineering and technology. NSBE’s mission is “to increase the number of culturally responsible Black Engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.”

This program is geared towards students who identify as Black and are interested in pursuing an education and/or career in engineering or applied physical sciences (Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics). Biology & Bio-psychology majors can also qualify.

These are the goals and objectives that a NSBE chapter at Augsburg would strive to accomplish:

-Stimulate and develop student interest in the various engineering disciplines
-Strive to increase the number of minority students studying engineering at both the undergraduate and graduate levels
-Encourage members to seek advanced degrees in engineering or related fields and to obtain professional engineering registrations
-Promote public awareness of engineering and the opportunities for Blacks and other minorities in that profession
-Function as a representative body on issues and developments that affect the careers of Black Engineers

For more information on NSBE as an organization, check out this link: https://www.nsbe.org/home.aspx

If you you are interested in seeing this group become a reality, please fill out the interest form below!

Link to interest form

submitted by distadm@augsburg.edu

Hello Augsburg Day Students!

We are looking to have you all join us in our upcoming events for the spring semester. To do so, we are asking you all what you would like to see from ASAC this semester. We will bring these event ideas to our board meetings and discuss a possible future for them.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdyXpi4YW6mFJzcGjhnLORfvLslA-zCPE-9wreXqsvrjrcGmA/viewform?usp=pp_url

submitted by green@augsburg.edu

Submit to Augsburg’s John R. Mitchell / Academy of American Poets Prize

Deadline for Submission: 17 February 2020

This competition, endowed by Jean Mitchell in honor of the late John Mitchell, former English Department faculty member and poet, is for the best group of three poems composed by a current Augsburg undergraduate or graduate student. The award includes a $100 prize ($50 each, if split between an undergrad and a grad student) and a certificate from the Academy of American Poets. Carleton Professor emerita and poet Mary Moore Easter will be judging this year’s Mitchell Prize.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
• A set of three well-proofread poems must be sent from your Augsburg email address as an attachment to green@augsburg.edu by 17 February 2020.
• Writers should put Mitchell Prize in the subject line.
• The email must contain the titles of the poems, and the poet’s full name, pronouns, status (undergrad or grad), phone number, and mailing/permanent address.
• Winners will be announced by Augsburg University in early March. There will be a reading on campus with judge Mary Moore Easter and the prize winners on the evening of Wed, 25 March.
• In the summer, the Academy will send a letter of congratulations and a certificate to each winner or honorable mention recipient. If two winners are chosen, the prize money will be divided between them.