Monday, November 2, 2020

Index

Public Safety and Facilities Announcements

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Teaching and Learning

General Announcements

Event Announcements

Keeping Track of Auggies

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Classifieds

Public Safety and Facilities Announcements

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Teaching and Learning

Google Drive Advanced Workshop Wednesday

submitted by maherk@augsburg.edu

The E-Learning team is hosting a Google Drive Advanced Workshop to help you create interactive slides in Google slides and build “Go-to-the Board” activities. The purpose of this workshop is to help you to engage students and get more participation during class. The Advanced Workshop will be held on the 4th of November from 3 pm – 4 pm.

Google Drive Workshop Zoom Information (can only be viewed with an Augsburg email address)

Recent AAC Approvals

submitted by maherk@augsburg.edu

On Monday, October 26, the Academic Affairs Committee passed two proposals. The first was from the Theater department. There were changes to the course description and prerequisites for THR 280: “Costume and Makeup for Performance”.

The committee also approved a proposal brought forth by Undergraduate Admissions to change the existing Test-Optional Admission Policy to a Test Free Admission Policy for the remaining two years of the four-year approved pilot.

You can find information on AAC and proposal forms at https://inside.augsburg.edu/facultysenate/aac/. There, and below, is a link to the AAC approval tracking spreadsheet.

AAC Approvals Tracking Sheet (can only be viewed with an Augsburg email address)

Tech Tip Tuesday: VoiceThread integration with Moodle gradebook

submitted by tensen@augsburg.edu

Are you already using VoiceThread to provide recorded lectures or for student presentations? The new VoiceThread assignment builder now allows you to easily assign grades when students have watched (from start to finish), commented (a specific number of times) or created a VoiceThread presentation.

Learn how to use the VoiceThread Assignment Builder activity

General Announcements

Reminder: No Virtual Resume and Cover Letter Drop-In Hours Tuesday, November 3

submitted by grayk2@augsburg.edu

Strommen Career & Internship Center will not offer virtual resume and cover letter drop-in hours on Tuesday, November 3rd. This is due to the University’s declared holiday for Election Day. Virtual drop-in hours will resume Wednesday, November 4th at 11am via Zoom https://augsburg.zoom.us/j/93298957782

Resume resources are also available on the new and improved Strommen Community Moodle Site.

Zoom, online, hybrid, or classroom. What Works for You?

submitted by mayper@augsburg.edu

The Technology Enhanced Learning Committee has prepared a survey aimed at understanding the student experience this fall. We know you’ve been getting a lot of surveys lately. This short survey is your chance to tell us about the course formats and what your experiences have been like this semester. Hopefully we can use the information you provide to plan for the future.

Please take a moment to let us know what you think.

Take the TEL Student Survey

Calling All Auggies – Participate in Advent Vespers

submitted by knutsonc@augsburg.edu

You are invited to participate in this year’s Augsburg Advent Vespers – A Virtual Service, celebrating the Advent and Christmas Seasons. Because this year’s service will be virtual, we would like to film Auggies singing “Silent Night” in the quad which will then be included in the video!

WHO: Open to students, faculty and staff – ALL ARE WELCOME!
(Space is limited to 25 participants; RSVP required with the attached Google Form)

WHEN: Thursday, November 12
(4:45 p.m. – Check in, placement and directions; 5-5:30 p.m. – Filming)

WHERE: Augsburg Quad

WHAT: Singing 1-verse of “Silent Night” (text provided)

VIEWING: 41st Annual Advent Vespers – A virtual service will premiere on Friday, December 4 at 7 p.m. (links provided closer to date!)

To participate, please RSVP using this form as soon as possible as space is limited! Questions? knutsonc@augsburg.edu

RSVP for “Silent Night”

Coping Resources for Election Stress

submitted by carlson2@augsburg.edu

Looking for some additional tools to support yourself in staying grounded during the stressful days ahead? Check out the new CWC webpage, Coping with Election Stress (link below).

Also, please look for our table in Christensen Center next Wednesday afternoon (2-3:30pm) for more information related to election anxiety. Additional resources and support can also be found on the CWC website, by scheduling an appointment with one of our counselors, or after hours by accessing our after hours urgent phone counseling line at 612-330-1707, option 1.

Coping with Election Stress (CWC webpage)

Graduating soon? Go live in Japan

submitted by dvorak@augsburg.edu

If you’ve recently studied abroad/away or are just interested in living and working abroad after graduation, please consider The Japan Exchange Teachers Program (JET)! This is an amazing opportunity – and you don’t need to be an education major or a Japanese expert.

If you are graduating this academic year, apply by Nov 20 to be part of the 2021 cohort of Assistant Language (English) Teachers in Japan.

Want to know more? Join JET program alums for a virtual information session so you can ask questions of past participants!

Nov 5th, 2020 @ 1:00 – 2:00pm
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAqcu6qqD0iHNJONRqWX5KAcBxtmGVn8BRd

Nov 10th, 2020 @ 5:00 – 6:00pm
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYpdO2uqD8uGNVaT8IKfJ4zIDbGEH0BGIBu

The JET application deadline is November 20th!

More information on JET

Add a Global Course to your Spring Schedule

submitted by hardaker@augsburg.edu

Looking for a dynamic and engaging course this spring? Want to hear from people all over the world to deepen your knowledge of international perspectives? If yes, we encourage you to register for an online course taught by CGEE staff this spring!

These courses are taught by Augsburg CGEE faculty from Mexico, Central America, and Southern Africa and will also bring in a variety of guest speakers and unique voices from around the globe using our community connections in those countries. Several courses also fulfill LAF graduation requirements.

Courses for spring 2021 semester include:
COMMUNICATION, FILM, & NEW MEDIA
COM 329-X: Intercultural Communication (Fulfills Augsburg Experience Requirement)

CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES
CCS 495: Cross-cultural Perspectives: Feminisms in the Americas

HISTORY
HIS 156: The Crisis in Nicaragua: U.S. Destabilization or a Democratic Movement? (Fulfills LAF Humanities)
HIS 195/387: Apartheid, Mandela, and Post-Apartheid in Southern Africa (Fulfills LAF Humanities)
HIS 195/387: Mexican History, Cultures and Cosmovision (Fulfills LAF Humanities)

POLITICAL SCIENCE
POL 353: Political and Social Change in Namibia (fulfills LAF Social Sciences)

RELIGION
RLN 100-C: Religion, Vocation and the Search for Meaning I (fulfills Search for Meaning I)
RLN 409-B: Virtual Immersion: Topics: Faith, Vocation, & Social Change (fulfills Augsburg experience, Search for Meaning II OR Humanities LAF)
RLN 480-A: Virtual Immersion: Vocation and the Christian Faith (fulfills Augsburg Experience, and keystone)

SPANISH
SPA 112-F: Beginning Spanish II (fulfills Modern Language I)
SPA 212-A: Intermediate Spanish II (fulfills Modern Language II)

All of these courses will be available in records and registration, per your usual registration (https://terra.augsburg.edu/recreg/Pages/frmCourseSearch.aspx)

List of Global Courses, Descriptions, and Schedules

A Message from the Dean of Students About the Election

submitted by griesse@augsburg.edu

With the election on Tuesday, the quandary of what we will know and when we will know it, and the emotions that uncertainty can bring, it is important to remember that Augsburg stands against hate in speech and action. If you encounter any violations of our policies, please visit Augsburg’s new Report It web page. This page provides a list of reports you may submit that include a general incident report, discrimination and bias report, and others. The link to the web page is https://www.augsburg.edu/report/. If you have any questions or concerns, you may also contact me, Sarah Griesse, Dean of Students, at griesse@augsburg.edu.

Nine Tips For Coping With Election Stress

submitted by guilbeau@augsburg.edu

Taking care of yourself, at times of high stress, is critical to functioning well.

Nine Tips for Coping with Election Stress can be a helpful to consider for yourself
or to share with others ( Source: BU TODAY, Boston University).

https://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/nine-tips-for-coping-with-election-stress/

Take care in this challenging time and check out the CWC website for more resources.

Take Care,

Nancy Guilbeault, Director CWC

http://www.augsburg.edu/CWC

Event Announcements

Forum Webinar – Harnessing the Power of Resistance: Transformative Leadership Strategies

submitted by gocmen@augsburg.edu

When: November 19, 2020 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
Level: Intermediate
Track: D&I Strategy
Presenters: Dr. Christopher Sansone, Verticle Leadership  |  Maria Velasco, MA, Beyond Inclusion group
Cost: Free

Success in diversity and inclusion initiatives eludes many organizations. Often leaders make the fatal error of avoiding valuable resistance. In this interactive experience, you’ll explore the positive role resistance plays in the implementation of successful diversity and inclusion initiatives. Transformative leaders who know the probable sequence, sources, and variety of fears unique to diversity and inclusion change initiatives can respond proactively through open engagement.

Learning Outcomes
Understanding the role of resistance in diversity and inclusion initiatives
Recognizing resistance and how it can thwart or be openly engaged to support change
Learning leadership strategies to engage resistance as a positive force for diversity, equity, and inclusion change initiatives

https://forumworkplaceinclusion.org/webinars/harnessing-the-power-of-resistance-transformative-leadership-strategies/

“What Should Minnesota Teachers Know About Race?”

submitted by lensmire@augsburg.edu

Thursday, November 5

2:00-3:30 p.m, CST, online

Free and open to the public

Description: This dialogue will consider things that Minnesota teachers should know and be willing and able to do in relationship to the state’s colonial and White supremacist past and present. Participants include Waziyatawin, a historian, activist, and author of numerous books on Dakota history including What Does Justice Look Like? The Struggle for Liberation in Dakota Homeland; and Augsburg University’s William Green, a historian, professor, and former superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools. This conversation is organized by the Racial Justice in Professional Education Task Force. The task force is charged with examining how our college frames racial justice in the preparation of education professionals, as well as with investigating the ways that racial inequities are embedded in our college’s structures, policies, and practices.

Please direct questions to vichet@umn.edu

https://umn.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_37b_UhhBSzu6sJPM1ScqXA

Chris Stedman: What Can We Learn from Life Online?

submitted by dames@augsburg.edu

Date: November 10, 2020
Time: 4:00 – 5:00 pm

Format: Zoom Webinar – to register see Zoom webinar link below
For much of history, humans have grappled with questions of meaning and belonging within institutions like churches and civic groups. Today, especially in the time of social distancing and online learning, more and more people are moving their search for connection and significance into digital space. The work of being human — exploring life’s big questions, finding a sense of identity and context, and connecting with others — increasingly happens on the internet. How is this changing our understanding of who we are? Join Augsburg University alum and current adjunct professor in Augsburg’s Department of Religion and Philosophy Chris Stedman for a conversation about his new book IRL: Finding Realness, Meaning, and Belonging in Our Digital Lives (out October 20, 2020), what it means to be “real” in the age of Twitter and TikTok, and what we can learn from the novel ways of being and belonging that are emerging online.

The lecture will feature a presentation by Chris Stedman followed by a time of Q & A. This is a free event, open to students, staff and faculty. Registration required at webinar link provided. After registering, participants will receive a link to connect to the event.

Chris Stedman is a Minneapolis-based writer, speaker, teacher, and community organizer. He is the author of IRL: Finding Realness, Meaning, and Belonging in Our Digital Lives (2020) and Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious (2012). Chris has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and PBS.
Previously the founding director of the Yale Humanist Community and a fellow at Yale University, Chris also served as a humanist chaplain at Harvard University. He currently teaches in the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Augsburg and serves as the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities’ 2020-21 visiting lecturer.

Register in advance for this webinar

Thinking of Graduate School at Augsburg?

submitted by assal@augsburg.edu

Are you thinking of graduate school at Augsburg? Do you know what kinds of graduate level programs we offer? Would you like to know more about what our graduate programs require? If you have answered any of these questions, come and swing by our table in the Christensen Center on Wednesday November 11th from 10:00-12:00 PM to meet our Graduate Admissions team. We can provide you with information on next steps!

We look forward to seeing you soon!
gradinfo@augsburg.edu

Augsburg Graduate Studies

Benefits Open Enrollment (and Prizes) – TODAY through 11/13

submitted by kimbrou@augsburg.edu

Benefits Open Enrollment begins TODAY and ends November 13. The 2021 Benefits Resource Guide provides additional details about your 2021 benefit plan options and rates.

All benefits-eligible employees are encouraged to attend an open enrollment information session. Due to COVID-19, sessions will be virtual this year. Use the Zoom links below to register for one of the live sessions:

TODAY – Monday, November 2  (11:00 am – 12:00 pm)

Friday, November 6  (2:00 pm – 3:00 pm)

Tuesday, November 10 (10:00 am – 11:00 am)

A recorded session for on-demand viewing will also be available soon.

To enroll or make changes to your benefit elections, visit:
Inside Augsburg > Administrative Tasks > Open Enrollment.

For your convenience, your current 2020 benefit elections will be pre-populated in the open enrollment portal. Even if you are not making changes, we ask that you submit the enrollment form to confirm your selections will remain the same for 2021. Please note, 2020 pre-tax HSA and FSA elections will end in December, so you must elect an amount for 2021 to continue participation.

**Anyone who enrolls the first week will be entered into a drawing to win some exciting PRIZES! A special prize drawing will also be held tomorrow for people who complete their enrollment TODAY.**

Email hr@augsburg.edu with any questions.

2021 Benefits Guide

Keeping Track of Auggies

No Postings

Classifieds