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the two signature courses called Searchfor Meaning that are required of allAugsburg students. In these courses, thethemes most important to Augsburg’smission and vision—vocation, identity,and Christian faith—are introduced andrevisited as students begin to reflect inmore substantive ways about theseissues.The Core Curriculum is designed tobe developmental. From the first yearonward, the curriculum introducesshared themes through commonexperiences, engages students in the city,builds skills in the major, broadensperspectives through the liberal arts,requires application of learned theory,and, finally, pulls everything together ina keystone course before graduation.Augsburg students continually haveBecoming an orientation leader is one way inwhich students can grow as leaders oncampus. Here, during summer orientation,Laura Prasek ’05 helps a new student figureout his academic schedule for the firstsemester.opportunities to develop leadershipskills for service in society: throughknowledge gained from the breadth oftheir liberal arts courses, through theembedding of skills development intheir major courses, and through themany forms of experiential education inthe Twin Cities or elsewhere where theycan apply their classroom learning topractical situations.An Augsburg education placesemphasis on the whole student, both inacademic classroom study and activitiesoutside of the classroom. Working intandem with the academic curriculum isthe co-curriculum, i.e., the rich varietyof college life that includes supportservices such as advising, tutoringservices, and accommodations forphysical and learning disabilities, as wellas student government, sports, residencelife, campus ministry, and many othersocial organizations. All of this helpsstudents build the confidence and skillsthey need to become leaders.Two significant aspects of anAugsburg education—the commitmentto a diverse learning community and theimportance of global awareness—areintentionally infused throughout boththe core curriculum and the major,rather than being targeted in specificcourses. Students will encounter thesethemes inherent in Augsburg’s identitythroughout their studies.In several cases the themes areimprinted in a common experience. Forexample, the Effective Writing course,required of first-year students, includesa common text chosen for its culturally,racially, and ethnically diverse content.Throughout the core curriculum,students will encounter opportunities toexperience and discuss the nature ofhuman differences.The Augsburg Core is designed forall undergraduate students and isrequired of all, including those in thetraditional day program, in WeekendCollege, and the Rochester program,albeit with some adjustments andslightly altered format for weekend andtransfer students.While weekend and Rochesterstudents do not participate in the firstyearprogram, they must fulfill all otherrequirements of the curriculum. For themost part, adult working students valuethe Augsburg Core for its emphasis onliberal arts, and they understand itsapplication to their work or lifesituation. They often use their ownworkplace as the setting for a project tofulfill the Augsburg Experience. Manystudents also take advantage of shorttermstudy seminars to experienceanother country or culture.Augsburg’s Honors Program is rootedin the Augsburg Core and offers anenriched and interdisciplinaryenvironment in which students explorethe many dimensions of ideas and usesof knowledge. Its courses lead studentsthrough a specially-designed corecurriculum for academically-qualifiedstudents.IMPLEMENTING THEAUGSBURG COREIn 2003, Augsburg’s Center for Teachingand Learning received a three-year grantfrom the Bush Foundation to helpfaculty implement the new AugsburgCore. During the past year, faculty havemet in learning collaboratives to addressbest teaching and learning practices. Thegrant has also funded workshops,materials, and research collaborations.For faculty, the new core curriculumhas resulted in a significant shift.Formerly, faculty members generallydesigned, taught, and evaluated theirown courses within departments. Thenew curriculum calls upon faculty to18Fall 2004
collaborate across departments anddisciplines, since all courses now servethe broader goals of an Augsburgeducation, including embedded skills,service-learning, and other kinds oflearning beyond the specific subjectmatter.“It’s work that will have as muchpayoff for faculty, if we do it well,”comments Diane Pike, professor ofsociology and director of the Center forTeaching and Learning. “Faculty gain amuch better understanding of how thecurriculum meets its goals; it gives us anintentionality and explicitness that wedidn’t have before.”The Augsburg Core’s distinction hasnot gone unnoticed. While highereducation is clearly moving towards the“liberal education” called for inAAC&U’s national report, Augsburgshows clear leadership with its emphasisand commitment to service-learning andthe development of learningcommunities. The College is activelyparticipating in this national discussionand is being recognized for thedistinctiveness and coherence of thenew core curriculum. Representing theAugsburg Core graphically as an archbecomes an effective tool to explain thecomprehensiveness of the curriculum aswell as to help students navigatethrough the courses to graduation.Creating the Augsburg Core has beena self-examination of the mostfundamental values of Augsburg’sheritage, mission, and vision. AnAugsburg education is now more closelyaligned with the vision of “transformingeducation” the College understandsitself called to offer, helping students tofind their place in the world and reachtheir potential.Provost Christopher Kimball sums itup on Augsburg’s Web site, “We are onecollege with one mission, offering oneunique experience.”The Augsburg ArchThe Augsburg Arch visuallydemonstrates the structure,relationships, and coherence of theAugsburg Core Curriculum. It showshow the liberal arts, academic majors,and general education intersect, andhow the liberal arts are foundational,both in content and skills. The keystonebrings it all together and supports thewhole as an integrated education.The Augsburg Core has three majorcomponents:▼ The Signature Curriculum▼ The Liberal Arts Foundation▼ Skills RequirementThe Signature Curriculum setsAugsburg apart from others. It includesboth specific courses and elements ofcourses that engage students with thecore values inherent in Augsburg’smission and heritage.1. THE SIGNATURE CURRICULUMAugsburg Seminar (first-yearprogram) helps first-year weekdaystudents make the transition to collegein “learning communities” based ontheir major or other academic interests.In these courses students learn what itmeans to become a citizen of anacademic community. Many of thesecourses also include an EngagingMinneapolis component, whichintroduces them to life in the TwinCities—by exploring the local artsscene, studying environmental issues onthe Mississippi, bicycling the downtownriverfront, tutoring neighborhoodimmigrant children, sampling the localethnic cuisine, and much more.Search for Meaning 1 and 2—Thesetwo religion courses present Christiantheology as well as non-Christian faithsand guide students in exploring andreflecting on Augsburg’s concept ofvocation—discovering and using one’sown talents and passion in service inthe world.Augsburg Experience—All studentswill complete a required experiencethat links their academic study toinvolvement in the broader community,either locally or globally. Thisexperience can be study abroad, aninternship, research with a professor,community service-learning, or an offcampusimmersion experience.Senior Keystone—The required seniorkeystone course revisits conversationson vocation, now within the context ofthe major, and builds on the cumulativecombining of theoretical classroomknowledge with experientialapplications of it. It also reflects thedevelopmental nature of the AugsburgCore—beginning with AugsburgSeminar, Search for Meaning, andEngaging Minneapolis; then addinggrowth in major skills and practicalapplication in the Augsburg Experience;and, finally, a uniting of everything inthe keystone.2. THE LIBERAL ARTS FOUNDATIONIn order to learn and appreciatedifferent ways of knowing and modesof inquiry, students take two coursesfrom different departments in each ofthe four academic domains. Studentsmay take “connections” courses thatare team-taught and examine theliberal arts around themes and acrossdisciplines.3. SKILLS REQUIREMENTSCourses throughout the four yearsprovide skills beyond the specializationthat responsible citizens and successfulemployees need in the globalworkplace—in critical thinking,speaking, writing, and quantitativereasoning. Entrance assessmentsprepare students to take the coursesthat fulfill graduation requirements inthese areas. Core skill requirementsinclude writing, modern language, andlifetime fitness.Fall 200419
Page 1 and 2: A PUBLICATION FOR AUGSBURG COLLEGE
Page 3 and 4: A PUBLICATION FOR AUGSBURG COLLEGE
Page 5 and 6: Access to Excellence:The Campaign f
Page 7 and 8: SPECIALBROADCASTAdd this special 25
Page 9 and 10: AUGSBURG COLLEGE HOSTSANNUAL NOBEL
Page 11 and 12: HOMECOMING 2004FIRST DECADE AND SPI
Page 13 and 14: BY PAUL S. MUELLER, M.D. ’84Scien
Page 15 and 16: Director of development namedAfter
Page 17 and 18: THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUMTHE AUG
Page 19: For more than two years, severalcom
Page 23 and 24: A Somali community leader, Abdiriza
Page 25 and 26: core curriculumA LESSON IN COMPUTER
Page 27 and 28: Central America, Mexico, and southe
Page 29 and 30: ALUMNI NEWSAlumni NewsFrom the Alum
Page 31 and 32: Alumni events calendarPlease join u
Page 33 and 34: Above: Norman Nielsen ‘44 (left)
Page 35 and 36: CLASS OF 1979(L to R) Row 1 (front)
Page 37 and 38: 1977Laurie (Barrett) Burns,Stillwat
Page 39 and 40: 1997Jacki Brickman, Coon Rapids,Min
Page 41 and 42: AUGSBURG CENTENNIAL SINGERS 2005 AR
Page 43 and 44: CALENDARCalendarMusicFor more infor

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