| Augsburg University | |
| Former Names: | Augsburg Seminarium (1869–1873) The Norwegian Danish Evangelical Lutheran Augsburg Seminary (1873–1892) Augsburg Seminary (1892–1942) Augsburg College and Theological Seminary (1942–1963) Augsburg College (1963–2017) |
| Motto: | Education for Service |
| Endowment: | $68.3 million (2021)[1] |
| Budget: | $107.9 million (2016)[2] |
| President: | Paul C. Pribbenow |
| Provost: | Paula O'Loughlin |
| Students: | 3,822 |
| Undergrad: | 3,015 |
| Postgrad: | 807 |
| Country: | United States |
| Campus: | Urban |
| Sports Nickname: | Auggies |
| Colors: | Maroon and gray [3] |
| Mascot: | Eagle |
| Coor: | 44.9659°N -93.2416°W |
Augsburg University is a private university in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was founded in 1869 as a Norwegian-American Lutheran seminary known as Augsburg Seminarium. Today, the university enrolls approximately 3,000 undergraduate and 800 graduate students. Augsburg is known for its emphasis on service learning; volunteering in the community is both an instructional strategy and a required part of a student's coursework.
Norwegian Lutherans founded Augsburg as a seminary. It was named after the Augsburg Confession of 1530, the primary confession of faith presented by Lutherans in Augsburg, Germany, and contained in the Book of Concord of 1580. Augsburg Seminarium opened in September 1869, in Marshall, Wisconsin. Three years later, it moved to Minneapolis, changing its name to The Norwegian Danish Evangelical Lutheran Augsburg Seminary to reflect the name of the church body that sponsored the school. Undergraduate classes began in the fall of 1874, with the first class graduating in 1879. In 1892, the school's name was shortened to Augsburg Seminary. In 1893, reacting to what it deemed overly hierarchical elements in the Norwegian church, Augsburg leaders organized the "Friends of Augsburg", which by 1897 had coalesced to form a new Lutheran denomination, the Lutheran Free Church, a body that flourished for 70 years. During its early years the college and seminary served men only; women were first admitted in 1921. To further expand its mission, a high school level Augsburg Academy was provided on the campus. It closed in 1933.
Augsburg Seminary remained the school's name until 1942, when it was officially changed and expanded to Augsburg College and Theological Seminary, a name that had been informally used since the 1910s. When the Lutheran Free Church merged with the much larger American Lutheran Church (ALC) in 1963, Augsburg Seminary merged with the ALC's Luther Theological Seminary, later renamed Luther Seminary.[4] The name of the remaining undergraduate college became Augsburg College.[5] In 2017, the name of the school officially became Augsburg University.
August Weenaas was Augsburg's first president (1869-1876). Weenaas recruited two teachers from Norway—Sven Oftedal and Georg Sverdrup. These three men clearly articulated Augsburg's mission: to educate Norwegian Lutherans to minister to immigrants and to provide such "college" studies as would prepare students for theological study.
In 1874, they proposed a three-part plan: first, train ministerial candidates; second, prepare future theological students; third, educate the farmer, worker, and businessman. The statement stressed that a good education is also practical. Augsburg's next two presidents also emphatically rejected ivory tower concepts of education. This commitment to church and community has led to Augsburg's theme of over 130 years: Education for Service.
This seminarian focus began to change after World War I. In 1911, George Sverdrup Jr. became president. He worked to develop college departments with an appeal to a broader range of students than just those intending to be ministers. In 1937, Augsburg elected Bernhard Christensen, an erudite and scholarly teacher, to be president (1938-1962). His involvement in ecumenical and civic circles made Augsburg a more visible part of church and city life. After World War II, Augsburg leaders made vigorous efforts to expand and improve academic offerings. By mid-century, the undergraduate college had become a larger part of the institution than the seminary and received the most attention.
As a result, Augsburg steadily added departments essential to a liberal arts college, offering a modern college program based on general education requirements and elective majors. Augsburg aims to reflect the commitment and dedication of its founders, who believed "an Augsburg education should be preparation for service in community and church" [by] "Providing an education grounded in vocational calling, that provides students both the theoretical learning and the practical experience to succeed in a global, diverse world."[6]
| Church | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America | 1869–1870 | |
| Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America | 1870–1890 | |
| United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America also Friends of Augsburg 1893–1897 | 1890–1897 | |
| Lutheran Free Church | 1897–1963 | |
| American Lutheran Church | 1963–1987 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | 1988–present |
| Number | Name | Years | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | August Weenaas | 1869–1876 | ||
| 2nd | Georg Sverdrup | 1876–1907 | ||
| 3rd | Sven Oftedal | 1907–1911 | ||
| 4th | George Sverdrup | 1911–1937 | ||
| Henry N. Hendrickson | 1937–1938 | |||
| 5th | Bernhard M. Christensen | 1938–1962 | ||
| 6th | Leif S. Harbo | 1962–1963 | ||
| 7th | Oscar A. Anderson | 1963–1980 | ||
| 8th | Charles S. Anderson | 1980–1997 | ||
| 9th | William V. Frame | 1997–2006 | ||
| 10th | Paul C. Pribbenow | 2006– |
https://www.augsburg.edu/about/history/
Augsburg University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.[7] The student-faculty ratio at Augsburg University is 16:1, and 64.4% of its classes have fewer than 20 students. Augsburg offers undergraduate degrees in over 50 major areas of study. The university also grants eight graduate degrees, including an MBA program. Augsburg offers one doctoral degree, the Doctor of Nursing Practice. Its most popular undergraduate majors, based on number, out of 533 graduates in 2022, were:[8]
Augsburg University was one of six higher education institutions in the nation to receive the 2010 Presidential Award for Community Service, the highest honor in the annual President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.[9] In 2013, U.S. News & World Report magazine named Augsburg one of the best colleges for service-learning, which includes 31 schools across the country where volunteering in the community is both an instructional strategy and a requirement of a student's coursework. According to the U.S. News & World Report 2013 rankings, Augsburg University was 23rd in its Regional University Midwest Ranking.[10] USN&WR also consistently ranks Augsburg as a Tier 1 institution for its Physician Assistant program. In 2013, Augsburg ranked #70 in the nation.[11] It shared the #70 rank with the University of Southern California, Western University of Health Sciences, and the University of New England.[12]
Several new facilities are planned, including a residence hall to replace the Science Hall and a parking ramp.[15] [16]
Augsburg's student body totals approximately 3,800 students from 40 states, more than 40 foreign countries, and 24 tribal nations/reservations. The college is involved in providing services to students with physical or learning disabilities. StepUP is Augsburg's program for students in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse. The program provides a sober environment for about 60 students in the Oren Gateway Center. It claims an excellent success rate: 84% abstinence over 538 people between 1997 and 2007.[17]
The on-campus diversity is enhanced by Augsburg's location in Cedar-Riverside, the Twin Cities' most culturally diverse neighborhood, which has the nation's largest concentration of Somali immigrants. One of the largest urban Native American populations is within one mile. Augsburg is also in the heart of a major theater center. The university has been designated as a Minnesota Indian Teacher Training Program site. Augsburg maintains a relationship with the United International College, in southern China.[18]
Augsburg students have opportunities for involvement in more than 50 clubs and organizations, including student academic societies, publications, student government, Augsburg Business Organization, Augsburg Asian Student Association, Campus Ministry, Augsburg University Pre-law Society, Pan-Afrikan and Pan-Asian Student Union, forensics, cheer-leading, Amnesty International, Intertribal Student Union and the Hispanic/Latino Student Association.
There are no fraternities or sororities on campus, although some students participate in nearby University of Minnesota Greek Life.
| The Augsburg University Echo | |
| Type: | Student newspaper |
| Foundation: | 1898 |
| Owners: | Augsburg University |
| Publisher: | Print Group Midwest |
| Staff: | appx. 20 |
| Language: | English |
| Circulation: | 1000 |
| Headquarters: | Christensen Center 1G Augsburg University 731 21st Ave. S. CB 148 Minneapolis, MN 55454 |
| Oclc: | 1518618 |
| Issn: | 0004-7945 |
| Website: | https://archives.augsburg.edu/islandora/object/AUGrepository:echo |
| Italic Title: | no |
The Echo is Augsburg's student-produced newspaper. It consists of twelve pages divided into five sections: News, Opinions, Sports, Arts and Culture, and Features. The paper is printed in black and white on tabloid-sized recycled paper.[19]
KAUG is Augsburg's student radio station, based in the Auggies' Nest in the basement of Christensen Center. KAUG streams 24 hours a day online through its website[20] and can be heard on the airwaves on 91.7 FM within two miles of the campus. KAUG provides a venue for a number of DJs, who play several genres of music and talk radio.
Originally known as "Women in Film", Marginalized Voices in Film and Media (MVFM) is a student group dedicated to the advancement of women and other minorities in the film and television industry. The group discusses the depiction of minorities on the screen and their roles behind the camera.[21]
Known as "Queer and Straight In Unity" (QSU) until 2014, and originally incorporated as "BAGLS" in 1988, Queer Pride Alliance (QPA) is Augsburg's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual support group.[22] [23] After the hostile campus environment towards LGBTQIA individuals culminated in several anti-LGBTQIA incidents in 2003, students occupied administrative offices to protest the university's lack of action. In response, Augsburg established the GLBTQIA Student Services office (today known as the LGBTQIA Student Services office), which became the primary point of contact and support for QSU and the LGBTQIA student body.[24] QPA is advised by the director of the LGBTQIA Student Services office, which jointly provides the campus community with workshops, performances, weekly group meetings, and speakers, as well as exposing students to the wider Midwestern LGBTQIA rights movement by sponsoring retreats and trips to conferences.[25] Today, Augsburg is certified Reconciling in Christ by ReconcilingWorks, which means that in accordance with its theological values, it welcomes and actively affirms "all people in regard to their gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation".[26]
The Augsburg Auggies are a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). Augsburg University participates in NCAA Division III Athletics. The wrestling team has won fifteen NCAA Division III National team wrestling champions: 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2023, and 2024. The men's hockey team had won 3 NAIA national ice hockey championships in 1978, 1981 and 1982.
The Augsburg hockey team was selected by the United States Amateur Hockey Association to represent the United States at the 1928 Winter Olympics. However, the American Olympic Committee, led by Douglas MacArthur, refused to certify the team due to the lack of Olympic trials.[28] As a result, the United States did not have an Olympic hockey team in 1928.[29]
| MIAC Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Sport | Number of championships | Year |
| Fall | football, men's | 2 | 1928c, 1997 |
| Fall | soccer, women's | 3 | 2014, 2017, 2019 |
| Fall | soccer, men's | 4 | 1973, 1974, 1975, 1980 |
| Fall | golf, men's | 1 | 1995, 2015 |
| Winter | hockey, men's | 8 | 1928, 1977c, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981c, 1982, 1998c, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Winter | hockey, women's | 2 | 1999c, 2000c |
| Winter | basketball, men's | 13 | 1927, 1946c, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1975c, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1998, 1999 |
| Winter | wrestling,* men's | 31 | 1961, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
| Spring | baseball, men's | 10 | 1931, 1943, 1947, 1948, 1959c, 1961, 1963, 1973, 1975, 1987 |
| Spring | softball, women's | 3 | 1982, 1983, 1984 |
| Spring | tennis, men's | 3 | 1948 doubles, 1951 single, 1968 doubles |
| Total | 77 | ||