In the WCCO-TV story “Augsburg College Celebrates Its Most Diverse Graduating Class In History,” Commencement participant Promise Okeke ’15 described his drive for an undergraduate degree and experiences at Augsburg.
The story also showed images of Augsburg’s traditional undergraduate Commencement event on May 2, noting that approximately 30 percent of the undergraduate Class of 2015 is comprised of students of color.
The Cedar Cultural Center and several other Minneapolis organizations hosted popular London-based Somali singer Aar Maanta in early April as part of the Midnimo series, a two-year partnership with Augsburg College to build cross-cultural awareness, knowledge, and understanding of Somali culture through music.
The Minnesota Public Radio story “Aar Maanta is the voice of a new Somali generation” discussed the ways in which Aar Maanta’s music resonates with Minnesotans and rejuvenates the Somali music scene.
Five days a week, Minneapolis community members convene at Bethany Lutheran Church to dine on gourmet fare prepared as part of the Soup for You Cafe — a program recognized by the Star Tribune for its ability to “redefine the soup kitchen.”
Augsburg College alumnus, Chaplain to Student Athletes, and linebacker coach Rev. Mike Matson ’06 is the pastor at Bethany Lutheran and the driver behind this community meal. Supported by volunteers and one talented chef, Soup for You is a chance for people of varying backgrounds to come together in an environment that focuses on dignity. In the article “Church program offers hot soup, warm welcome,” Matson underscored that the program focuses on bringing people together.
“Our model is mutuality, and what better way is there to show mutuality than to gather at the same table together?” he said.
Augsburg College was mentioned by the Twin Cities Daily Planet as a result of the traditional powwow held annually by the college.
The event, which was sponsored by the Augsburg American Indian Student Association and American Indian Student Services, featured traditional Native American dancers, drummers, singers, and food.
To learn more about Augsburg’s annual powwow, visit the Twin Cities Daily Planet news site.
Todd Lange ’92 was mentioned in the Albert Lea Tribune as a result of receiving the Albert Lea High School 2015 Teacher of the Year Award.
Lange, who has taught English in the southern-Minnesota school district for 18 years, also heads the English department at Riverland Community College.
Lange holds a master’s degree in teaching from Minnesota State University, Mankato, a bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College, and a teaching license from Augsburg College and the University of Minnesota.
To read more on Lange’s Teacher of the Year Award, visit the Albert Lea Tribune news site.
Harry Boyte, senior scholar in Augsburg College’s Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship, was named in a Forbes article about the changing tides and criticisms of public higher education. Boyte was mentioned in the article due to his role as a long-time commentator on democracy and its relation to higher learning.
Read, “Troubling Attacks On Public Higher Education” on the Forbes website.
Augsburg College alumna and music therapist Sandi Holten ’82 was featured on MPR News in a special piece for Minnesota Sounds & Voices. As a kid, Holten dropped out of piano lessons believing that music wasn’t going to play a large part in her life, but today she uses music to strengthen muscles and spirits for many people living with Parkinson’s in the Twin Cities.
Visit the MPR News website to learn more about Holten’s work in the story, “Music helps keep Parkinson’s patients going.”
In mid-March, Augsburg College won its 12th NCAA Division III wrestling championship and took home a number of awards from the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
Head coach Jim Moulsoff was named Division III National Coach of the Year and Division III Rookie Coach of the Year. Tony Valek ’12 was named Assistant Coach of the Year, and Mike Fuenffinger ’15 won his second national title and the Outstanding Wrestler honor. Eric Hensel ’16 won Most Falls in Least Time, and Donny Longendyke ’15 earned his first national title.
Media coverage of Augsburg’s NCAA Championship win includes the following:
Whitney Restemayer ’10 was featured in the Bemidji Pioneer – a northern-Minnesota newspaper – due to her achievement as the first woman to coach a state hockey champion team in Minnesota.
As head coach, Restemayer led the Thief River Falls Prowlers to the state High School Girls Hockey Tournament Class A Championship and to defeat Blake high school 3-1. The accomplishment, Restemayer affirms, will be the first of many to come.
“I know I’m the first to win, but I enjoy knowing that I won’t be the last,” Restemayer said in an interview.
Restemayer holds a bachelor’s degree in health education from Augsburg College. To learn more about Restemayer and her team, visit the Bemidji Pioneer news site.
Curt Rice ’84 was appointed the new rector of the Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, the largest institution of its kind in Norway.
“I’ll work to assure that our institution makes its mark both nationally and internationally. And together we will achieve our goal of becoming a university,” Rice said in an interview.
Rice, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Augsburg and a PhD in general linguistics from the University of Texas, currently leads the Committee on Gender Balance and Diversity in Research and is the Board Head of Current Research Information System in Norway.
