bing pixel

Augsburg College receives grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation

greatlakeslogoThe nonprofit Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation has awarded Augsburg College $150,000 to fund paid internships during the 2014-15 school year.

As one of 10 Minnesota colleges to receive a grant award from Great Lakes, Augsburg will use newly available funds to convert previously unpaid internships into paid placements that support learning on and off campus.

The grant award garnered media coverage in the Star Tribune article, “Giving beat: Great Lakes Higher Ed gives $5.2 million for internship grants,” and the Inside Philanthropy story, “Graduating Is Not Enough: How This Funder Is Backing Student Career Readiness.”

Augsburg named among most LGBT-friendly colleges in U.S.

indexAugsburg College was named to Campus Pride’s 2014 list of the Top 50 LGBT-Friendly Colleges. Campus Pride, a nonprofit organization aimed at creating more LGBT-friendly colleges, compiled the list from schools that achieved the highest ratings in categories such as LGBT academic life, LGBT student life, LGBT housing, and more. The accolade was featured by The Washington Blade, The Huffington Post, and Advocate.

In 2013, Campus Pride awarded Augsburg College a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars on its LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index.

Andy Aoki answers WCCO ‘Good Question’ on ISIS

WCCOProfessor Andy Aoki spoke with WCCO-TV about the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, known as ISIS, for the news station’s Good Question. Aoki, who teaches in the College’s political science department, explained to television viewers that ISIS is an extreme militant group that has been disavowed by Al Qaeda. He commented that this relatively young organization is rare, in part, because unlike most of history’s other horrific killers, this group isn’t trying to hide any of its actions. “It’s rare to find a group like this that’s not even embarrassed. Even the Nazis were denying some of the things they did. If you look at some of the most horrific killers the last 30 or 40 years, they’ve got to be in the top 5 so far,” he told viewers. Watch “Good Question: Who is ISIS.”

Dave Conrad: Listen to employees’ ideas

PostBulletinIn his latest Rochester Post-Bulletin column, Dave Conrad, assistant director of the Augsburg College MBA program in Rochester, responded to a reader’s question on how managers should respond to employees’ ideas. Conrad suggested that businesses need more skeptics involved in planning and that constructive criticism should be welcomed. To review his comments, read “Managers should listen to employees and their ideas” on the Post-Bulletin website.

Somali women open boutique with support of Augsburg

kareThe Sisterhood Boutique, a second-hand clothing store founded and operated by young Somali women in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood and supported by Augsburg College, recently relocated to the old Smiley’s Clinic. Watch “Young Somali women open boutique,” a KARE 11 story to learn about involvement in this community-based project by Augsburg and about the women’s vision for the store.

Minnesota Public Radio reports on first Spanish-language debate hosted by Minnesota Urban Debate League

MPRLogoMinnesota Urban Debate League’s (MNUDL) first Spanish-language debate  was the subject of a story by Minnesota Public Radio’s Tim Post. The story provided a brief overview of  why MNUDL, a program that serves more than 500 students at 33 public schools, added such a competition to its program, how the new event allows the program to introduce more bilingual students to debate, and more. Read “Augsburg College reaches bilingual students through Spanish debates.”

Star Tribune writes about hiring of new Chief Financial Officer, Vice President for Finance and Administration

Minneapolis Star TribuneThe Star Tribune included the hiring of Beth Reissenweber, Augsburg College’s new Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Finance and Administration, in its weekly Business People column. The column chronicles new hires and promotions at leading Minnesota organizations.

Augsburg College names Beth Reissenweber Chief Financial Officer, Vice President for Finance and Administration

Beth ReissenweberAugsburg College today announced the appointment of Beth Reissenweber as the College’s Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Reissenweber will lead Augsburg’s finance, accounting, purchasing, facilities, and human resources functions. She will officially start at Augsburg in July.

“Maintaining a sound and sustainable financial footing is a core dimension of our long-range strategic plan,” said Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow. “We are pleased to have Beth join Augsburg and – building on the strong foundation created by prior CFOs of the College – lead the ongoing development of a sustainable financial model that supports our core academic mission and strategic priorities.” Continue reading “Augsburg College names Beth Reissenweber Chief Financial Officer, Vice President for Finance and Administration”

Former campus ministry staff named bishop of St. Paul Area Synod

Minneapolis Star TribuneRev. Patricia Lull was elected the first female bishop of the St. Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Lull, who served as staff for Augsburg’s campus ministry, was elected on the fifth ballot. Previously, Lull was executive director of the St. Paul Area Council of Churches. Read “ELCA’s east metro synod selects its first woman as bishop” in the Star Tribune.

Dave Conrad discusses leadership in Post-Bulletin

PostBulletinDave Conrad, assistant director of the Augsburg College MBA program in Rochester, is a featured columnist for the Post-Bulletin. Conrad’s column responds to readers’ questions, and he recently outlined what employees seek from their management teams. Read “What people want in their leaders” on the Post-Bulletin website.