Parent and Family Updates

As parents and family members of Augsburg students, you are vital partners in the education of our students. 

We know the COVID-19 pandemic has created widespread anxiety, and we share your utmost concerns for our Augsburg students as well as the broader community. This page provides updates on how the campus is responding to the pandemic and how we are planning for the continuation of education while ensuring the safety of our students. 

As President Paul Pribbenow has written to the Augsburg community, “Remember our mission and our 150 years of offering our students an education that equips them for life in the world; remember that we are a community that shows up for each other, with generosity and grace; and remember that we have found ways over and over again throughout our history to navigate difficult challenges—as we will do together in this moment.”

We urge you to frequently check this page for updates as this situation continues to evolve.

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How Augsburg University Is Responding

Augsburg’s university leaders convened the COVID-19 Task Force in early 2020. The task force is actively planning for continuity in student learning, student life, operations, employee work, and student support in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The task force engages in ongoing communication with the Minnesota Department of Health, regularly reviews guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and consults with national leaders in higher education including the Council of Independent Colleges and Universities.

The dean of students and other leaders update students via email about pandemic-related decisions. Our communications to students are available on the Resources for Students page; highlights appear below.

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

Augsburg University has implemented a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for students, faculty, and staff. Documented medical and non-medical exemptions will apply. Learn more.

COVID-19 Testing

Augsburg has a relationship with the People’s Center Clinic and Services across the street from the Minneapolis campus. The clinic offers COVID-19 testing by appointment; people without an appointment may or may not be seen during testing hours. Additional easy-to-access testing is available at the Minneapolis Convention Center, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekdays. Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are encouraged. Appointments can be scheduled online. In addition, Minnesotans are able to order two test kits (for a total of four tests) per home or campus mail address through an online ordering system. Minnesota has secured 500,000 test kits (for a total of 1 million at-home tests), and the program will be available until all the test kits are ordered.

You can find more information on COVID-19 testing, including testing sites in Minnesota, on the Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 Testing webpage.

Classes

We are prepared that courses may need to move to fully remote learning during the semester if directed by the Minnesota Department of Health or the governor’s office. Students must not come to an in-person class while feeling ill. Faculty have made adjustments to courses, programs, and policies to ensure that students who are quarantined or isolated are able—whenever possible—to achieve the learning outcomes in courses in which they are enrolled. 

Mask Policy

Unvaccinated students, staff, and faculty are required to wear masks in indoor campus spaces, except when eating in dining areas or when in one’s own residential unit or individual office with the door closed. This applies to all U.S. Augsburg locations. (International Augsburg locations are following local protocols.) Masks or face coverings are not required outdoors or for vaccinated individuals, except at specific events or in the classroom at the request of a faculty member. Of course, anyone who wishes to continue wearing a mask for any reason is free to do so.

Medical experts recommend N95 or KN95 masks because, with the omicron variant, cloth masks alone do not provide sufficient protection. The second-best option is to double mask by wearing a surgical mask along with a multi-layer cloth mask.

Screening and Safety Measures

Hand sanitizer is readily available across campus, and we have developed enhanced cleaning protocols as well as reduced occupancy standards. Students, faculty, and staff who feel sick are required to stay home. Our Center for Wellness and Counseling is an important resource available and offers virtual appointments during the academic year. Augsburg is following domestic and international travel guidelines from the CDC. 

Student Services Index

Featuring 40+ searchable info boxes, the Student Services Index explains how to access departments and services during a unique time when there are both in-person and virtual opportunities for engagement. The tool provides bite-sized descriptions, location and contact information, and additional key details for the Augsburg offices and departments that are dedicated to student success and support.

Check out the Student Services Index today!

Communications

Email from the VP of Operations: COVID-19 Mitigations for Fall 2022 (August 18, 2022)

Email from the Dean of Students: A healthy start to the fall semester (August 16, 2022)

A-mail: COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic on Campus Next Week (April 12, 2022)

A-mail: Free COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic on Campus Next Week (March 21, 2022)

Email from VP of Operations: Updates on university mask requirements and on-campus testing (March 9, 2022)

Email from VP of Operations: Continuation of temporary COVID-19 mitigations through February 5 (January 21, 2022)

Email from VP of Operations: New quarantine and isolation procedures (January 17, 2022)

Email from VP of Operations: Augsburg implementing additional COVID-19 mitigations (January 11, 2022)

Email from VP of Operations: Overview: Return to Campus for Spring Semester (January 5, 2022)

Email from VP of Operations: An update on university COVID-19 mitigation efforts and indoor dining (September 28, 2021)

Email from VP of Operations: August 2021 Campus Update From Augsburg University (August 9, 2021)

Email from VP of Operations: Indoor Mask Requirement Reinstated (August 3, 2021)

From the Dean of Students: Verifying your vaccination status by August 26 (July 28, 2021)

Email from President Pribbenow: Augsburg mandates vaccination for all students, staff, and faculty (July 22, 2021)

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Contact us

Feel free to reach out with questions and concerns we have not yet addressed. You can submit your question or comment using the Coronavirus Question Form, and it will be reviewed and sent to the appropriate office.

We appreciate your trust and patience as we focus our attention on many moving parts in an effort to best serve our students and community.