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August 28 is publication day for a new book that shares the wisdom, dreams, and frustrations of young adults with the church. “Hungry for Hope: Letters to the Church From Young Adults,” a project of Augsburg University’s Riverside Innovation Hub, speaks to the most pressing issues of our time, from climate catastrophe to mental health, and calls faith communities to shape a more just future.
Young adult authors from across the U.S. were paired with a scholar or thought leader on each of eleven themes, which form the book’s chapters:
courageous curiosity
tokenism of young adults
destruction and re-creation
grief and lament
mental health
abuse of power
marginalization, inclusion, and liberation
sex, shame, and intimacy
community
beyond the walls
scarcity and abundance
Each chapter provides practical guidance for congregations, theological educators, church leaders, and student groups looking for fresh ways to connect faith and action in ways that matter deeply to young people.
“For those of us who care deeply about the future of our faith communities, Hungry for Hope is a remarkable gift,” said Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow. “With its chapters co-written by young adults and their mentors, these reflections invite all of us into a conversation about our most pressing challenges as people of faith committed to being God’s hands and feet in the world now and into the future. We must pay attention to these prophetic voices.”
“Hungry for Hope” was edited by Jeremy Myers, Bernhard M. Christensen professor of religion and vocation and executive director of the Christensen Center for Vocation, and Kristina Frugé, director of congregational and community initiatives at the Riverside Innovation Hub. Additional Augsburg contributors include JD Mechelke ’17, instructor in religion and philosophy; Amber Kalina ’15; and Madeline Burbank, current MSW student and graduate assistant in the Interfaith Institute.
Augsburg University is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award, First Decade Award, and Spirit of Augsburg Award. These outstanding alumni will be recognized at a public ceremony and reception on October 3 as part of Augsburg’s 2025 homecoming and reunion weekend.
Distinguished Alumni Award
The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes significant achievement in vocation, for outstanding contribution to church and community, and for a life that exemplifies the ideals and mission of Augsburg University. The 2025 honorees are:
Susan Allen ’92, attorney and former Minnesota state legislator (Las Vegas, NV)
Michele Boyer ’89, housing supervisor, The Aliveness Project; director of supportive housing, Clare Housing (Minneapolis, MN)
Deacon Ross R. Murray, ’00, ’09 MBA, vice president, GLAAD Media Institute; founder and director, The Naming Project (St. Paul, MN)
First Decade Award
The First Decade Award is presented to Augsburg graduates of the past 10 years who have made significant progress in their professional achievements and contributions to the community, and in so doing exemplify the mission of the university. The 2025 honorees are:
Muna Mohamed ’16, founder and CEO, Kalsoni (Minneapolis, MN)
Spirit of Augsburg Award
The Spirit of Augsburg Award honors alumni and friends of the university who have given exceptional service that contributes substantially to the well-being of Augsburg by furthering its purposes and programs. The 2024 honorees are:
Mark S. Johnson ’75, PhD, retired city planner, former president of Sonju Motors, volunteer, and philanthropist (Naples, FL)
For a fourth consecutive year, Augsburg University is one of 251 colleges and universities nationwide that have been named to the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society 2025 Transfer Honor Roll. Based on key metrics related to the support and success of transfer students, the Transfer Honor Roll recognizes excellence in the development and support of dynamic and innovative pathways for community college transfer students. Some of the metrics taken into consideration are cost and financial aid, campus life, admissions practices, and bachelor’s degree completion rates.
“Our transfer students are a huge thread in the fabric of the Augsburg campus. The experience they bring both academically and in life impacts our community in unique ways,” says Tim Lawson, associate director of undergraduate admissions at Augsburg. “Working with them on a daily basis and hearing their stories of where they are coming from and where they want to go not only inspires me, but each and every person they interact with on campus. Transfers are truly special and need to be celebrated for their passion and dedication to their educational journeys.”
Augsburg University Assistant Professor of Psychology Gisel Suarez Bonilla ’18 and TRIO McNair Scholars Program Director Maria “Tina” Tavera were recently interviewed by the Minnesota Star Tribune about funding uncertainty for federal TRIO programs. TRIO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs.
“Each [program] helps a slightly different population get into college or be successful in college,” Tavera said. “They’re setting an example and they’re guiding the whole family to learn about the academic system.”
Augsburg operates two TRIO programs. TRIO Student Support Services provides comprehensive academic, financial, and personal planning and support for up to 160 students as they progress toward graduation. TRIO McNair Scholars supports 26 juniors and seniors annually in preparing for graduate study.
Paul Pribbenow was one of 15 college and university presidents interviewed for a recent research report by the TIAA Institute on how universities serve society in turbulent times.
The study explored what universities are “good for” and “good at,” while also taking into account environmental, social, and governance considerations and institutional responses to the changing political and economic landscape. Participating institutions reported doubling down on their missions while facing significant challenges, including financial pressures, demographic shifts, and anti-higher education messaging trends.
Presidents emphasized the critical roles of higher education in strengthening democracy, enabling social mobility, and serving as anchor institutions in their communities. The study highlighted the ways universities serve as modern public squares vital to democracy, providing spaces for civic engagement and democratic discourse, and how mission-centered leadership provides stability during turbulent times.
Muhiyadin “Mo” Aden ’24 MSPAS worked his way up from a starting position as a casual Somali interpreter to head of Hennepin County Medical Center’s interpreter department before deciding he could make a bigger impact with a medical degree. After graduating from Augsburg’s Master of Science in Physican Assistant Studies program, he returned to HCMC—this time as a provider in the emergency department.
The Sahan Journal recently profiled Aden, who described his work to connect with patients:
“This is a hospital that serves people that are underserved … 20% to 30% of the patients that we see here have limited English proficiency. That’s a huge challenge to provide care for those patients, but I think they do the best they can, and that’s why I came back.”
The giant corpse flower is currently blooming. Free public viewing is available on Wednesday, July 16, until 9 p.m. in the Augsburg University Greenhouse.
The greenhouse is located on the fourth floor of the Hagfors Center (700 21st Ave S, Minneapolis). It is accessible via stairs or the elevator at the north end of the building.
The hot, sweaty weather of July has brought a truly extraordinary botanical curiosity out of dormancy. The giant corpse flower, or titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum), is famous for producing an enormous, sinister, powerfully malodorous, but thankfully short-lived bloom. At 94 inches tall as of July 14, Augsburg University’s very own corpse flower is getting ready to put on its first floral display.
The plant has tentatively been dubbed “Lady Gag-Ugh,” in reference to the formidably foul smell―reminiscent of roadkill―it produces once open. The corpse flower will unfurl its bloom and emit its foul stench for a mere 24–36 hours before rapidly collapsing back into dormancy.
Augsburg University obtained its specimen as a donation from the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. It forms part of an ongoing series of projects by biology professor Leon van Eck, curator of the Augsburg Greenhouse, to increase the diversity and conservation value of the permanent plant collection at Augsburg. “Lady Gag-Ugh” was grown from seed sown at USBG in February 2018, in D.C. The plant has been growing at Augsburg since July 2021, and is now flowering for the first time, at the age of seven.
Giant corpse flowers do not flower very often, and can hold out for almost a decade to do so. Every year or so, the plant sends up a single leaf―at 12 ft tall bigger than some small trees―to convert sunlight energy into sugars that get stockpiled in a large underground stem called a corm. Once the corm has enough energy stored up, the corpse flower will finally transition to reproductive mode and send up a flower stalk. “Lady Gag-Ugh” has now done exactly that.
These precious rainforest divas are temperamental, and the exact moment of blooming is difficult to predict. As of July 14, van Eck estimates the blooming of “Lady Gag-Ugh” between July 15–18. Once unfurled, the bloom will rapidly burn energy to heat up its central spire and emit its putrid scent, aiming to attract carrion beetles and flesh flies as pollinators.
This tropical relative of the jack-in-the-pulpit is native to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. In the wild, there are fewer than 1,000 mature individuals of this species remaining, and its continued survival is threatened by habitat loss to expanding oil palm plantations. Displays of these rare corpse flowers at botanic gardens and conservatories around the world attract thousands of visitors annually, and Augsburg is proud to continue the practice of preserving and exhibiting this rare and remarkable species.
The corpse flower is located in the greenhouse on the 4th floor of Hagfors Center at 700 21st Ave S in Minneapolis; arrangements are underway for free public viewing until 9 p.m. on the day it flowers. Follow @augsburg_greenhouse on Instagram for updates and more details.
Arif Bakar ’19 MAE has been named a 2025 Bush Fellow by the Bush Foundation. Selected from a pool of nearly 1,000 applicants, Bakar is one of 29 individuals eager to put his self-designed leadership plan into action through the time and resources being facilitated by the prestigious fellowship.
Originally from Ethiopia, Bakar moved to Minnesota in 2005 to begin a decade-long career in social work. He later became interested in education, seeing transferable skills in the field and earning a scholarship through Augsburg’s East African Students to Teachers (EAST) program—now Thrive—which made it possible to pursue a new career path with a Master of Arts in Education. Bakar gained classroom experience as a science teacher at Lincoln International High School in Minneapolis and later founded Bultum Academy in Columbia Heights, the first charter school in North America to teach Oromo as a world language.
Bakar said completing the extensive application and interview process for the Bush Fellowship was a deeply reflective experience, reminding him of how he has evolved and articulating his direction for the future.
“When you’re balancing school, work, and raising a family, you don’t always get the chance to stop and think about your own story,” said Bakar. “Going through the application made me reflect on where I came from, the people who influenced me, and the challenges that shaped my leadership journey. It was emotional at times—remembering my childhood, the struggles, and how far I’ve come. It reminded me that real leadership often comes from lived experience, resilience, and the inner drive to make a difference.”
After careful selection by the Bush Foundation, each fellow receives up to $150,000 to support their bold vision and their commitment to strengthening leadership skills. For Bakar, this means setting an example for his children and his community by pursuing a doctoral degree in leadership through St. Mary’s University. Bakar also plans to study global education models and teacher preparation methods in Japan, Finland, and Singapore.
“I want to throw myself into their culture and see it for myself from a quality standpoint. I want to experience as much as I can and bring that to my school and eventually pass on to other schools that want to replicate,” said Bakar.
Created by Archie and Edyth Bush in 1953, the Bush Foundation works to inspire and support creative problem solving—within and across sectors—to make the region better for everyone. The foundation works through open grantmaking programs to develop, test, and spread great ideas, equipping selected fellows throughout Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the 23 Native nations that share this geography.
Nearly 1,000 Augsburg University undergraduate students were named to the 2025 spring 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.
The Augsburg University community mourns the tragic assassination of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, as well as the attempted assassination of Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, on June 14. Our prayers are with their families and neighbors in this distressing time.
Both Representative Hortman and Senator Hoffman have been exemplary public servants who shared our deep commitments to the role of education in Minnesota and beyond. We will miss Speaker Hortman’s keen intellect, calm demeanor, and political savvy, and we wish Senator Hoffman a speedy recovery.
We live in polarized times, which, as we teach our students, require empathy and grace if we are to live together. Violence is never the way forward and we grieve this moment for all of us.
August 28 is publication day for a new book that shares the wisdom, dreams, and frustrations of young adults with the church. “Hungry for Hope: Letters to the Church From Young Adults,” a project of Augsburg University’s Riverside Innovation Hub, speaks to the most pressing issues of our time, from climate catastrophe to mental health, and calls faith communities to shape a more just future. 
