January Auggie Pride Winner

Congratulations to our Auggie Pride Award winner for the month of January, Tina Brauer, Administrative Assistant in the Music Department. Tina is the Super Glue that keeps the Music Department’s faculty & students organized and on task! She shepherds each individual student through the various degree programs, helping to ensure that all of the boxes are checked off on their way to graduation. The Augsburg staff senate is happy to recognize her amazing work. Congratulations Tina!!

December Auggie Pride Awards

Congratulations to our two Auggie Pride Award winners for the month of December, Cathy Knutson, Coordinator of Fine Arts and Music, and Pastor Babette Chatman, University Pastor and Director of Campus Ministry. Both staff members worked with the Vespers planning team to create this year’s virtual Advent Vespers service “Angel Voices, Again Now Sing.” The Augsburg staff senate is happy to recognize their amazing work. Congratulations Cathy and Babette!!

April 2019 Auggie Pride Recipient

Congratulations to Anne Lynch, disability specialist in the CLASS program along with Dave St. Aubin, Ricky Anderson, and Eric Graham from facilities for receiving the April Auggie Pride Award. They consistently go above and beyond their regular call of duty to help students and other campus parters succeed. Staff Senate admires their outstanding work and are honored to award them with this month’s Auggie Pride Award.

Dave St. Aubin, Ricky Anderson, and Eric Graham

Group photo of athletic facilities workers
Congratulations David, Eric, and Ricky for receiving the April Auggie Pride Award

Nomination: They all went above and beyond to help me get my softball field ready to play a doubleheader this past Sunday. They gave my student athletes the opportunity to compete and not have to make up another game during the middle of a very stressful academic time of year. They worked past shift hours and on the weekend to make this happen. I am very grateful for them and their acts!

Anne Lynch

CLASS Office gathers for a group photo
Congratulations Anne for receiving the April Auggie Pride Award

Nominations: The CLASS Office has been going through significant changes over the last academic year due to staff turnover. Through it all, Anne Lynch, the longest-standing member of the CLASS office (19 years!) has been a rock.

Anne always keeps the big picture in mind and strives to keep us rooted in the CLASS office mission and service model as we navigate these staffing challenges of doing more with less.

She has taken on a significant increase in her student load, while at the same time still providing thoughtful, measured, and warm approach to ensuring students have equal access. She has also taken on the lion’s share of training our newest team member, Cassie, who is brand new to working in higher education. With Anne’s long tenure at Augsburg, she offers Cassie a breadth and depth of knowledge like no one else on the team. Cassie has shared how valuable the training has been and what a welcoming presence Anne has been throughout her on-boarding.

March 2019 Auggie Pride Recipient

Congratulations to Margaret Anderson, program coordinator, off-campus study programs, CGEE, for receiving the March Auggie Pride Award. Margaret helps students and their families when they are studying abroad. Staff Senate admires her outstanding work and are honored to award her with this month’s Auggie Pride Award.

Margaret Anderson

Study Aboard department gathers to celebrate Margaret's awards
Congratulations Margaret for receiving the March Auggie Pride Award

Nomination: Margaret Anderson goes above and beyond to help students and their families when they are studying abroad. She has done a superb job working with parents in particular. Here is an excerpt from a parent email.
   
   “…as a “Rookie” Mom sending her daughter to a foreign country, [I found that] Margaret was so patient answering ALL of my questions. She handled all of our communication with grace and professionalism. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciated her and thought you should know that she is really an asset to your University. You probably don’t get to see her “in action” on a day to day basis. So I thought that you should know that for me, she was the “face” of Augsburg. [….] I have been very impressed with your staff both here and in Mexico. Dr. Ann Lutterman-Aguilar and her staff in Cuernavaca have taken very good care of my Rebecca. [….] It’s been a joy for me to send my daughter to study abroad with such a great program!” 

February 2019 Auggie Pride Recipient

Congratulations to Mai Chong Vang, Financial Aid Counselor, for receiving the February Auggie Pride Award. During changes within her department both in staffing and processes, Mai has thrived as a fantastic counselor to our students and families. Staff Senate admires her outstanding work and are honored to award her with this month’s Auggie Pride Award.

Mai Chong Vang

The financial aid department gathers for a group photo
Congratulations Mai for receiving the February Auggie Pride Award

Nomination: Mai Chong is an invaluable member of our office and the larger university. She does outstanding work each day and is always ready and willing to learn new skills in order to assist other staff with their work. This has been noticed and greatly appreciated recently in our office as we have been short-staffed during the last few months. It’s not only that she has stepped in to help others with their work when needed, but she has done so while adapting to her own shifting work. As a result of a change in processes, she has nearly doubled the amount of financial aid awards that have been sent to prospective students compared to this time last year. In addition to her work behind the scenes, she is a fantastic counselor to students and families. She consistently provides a calm demeanor and presents complex financial aid information in an accessible way for students to understand.

January 2019 Auggie Pride Recipients

Congratulations to John Weirick, Marketing Copywriter, for receiving the January Auggie Pride Award. The large job he took on, on top of his regular day-to-day, to help improve consistency across communication will impact the university and beyond. Staff Senate admires his outstanding work and are honored to award him with this month’s Auggie Pride Award.

John Weirick

Marketing and Events gather in a group photo to celebrate John's award
Congratulations John for receiving the January Auggie Pride Award

Nomination: John recently completed a massive project—developing a comprehensive editorial style guide to make sure the university is able to be consistent in our written communication across media (print publications, Augsburg Now, the website, etc.). This is a valuable tool for our department, but also for partners across campus who need to communicate with our key audiences: students, prospective students, alumni, donors, and more. Developing it took a tremendous amount of work and discussion both in the office and with others on campus.

 

To learn more about the Auggie Pride program and to make a nomination click here to visit our website.

December 2018 Auggie Pride Recipients

Congratulations to Christine Berkenpas, Associate Registrar, and Maggie Sotos, Enrollment Communications and Event Specialist for receiving the December Auggie Pride Awards. The service they provide to the entire Augsburg community has an unmeasurable impact on not only the people they encounter but the institution as a whole. Staff Senate admires their outstanding work and are honored to award them with this month’s Auggie Pride Award.

Christine Berkenpas

Registrars office gathers for a group photo with Christine
Congratulations Christine for receiving the December Auggie Pride Award

Nomination: Christine, Associate Registrar for Transfer and and Graduation, has worked tirelessly this term to advocate for our transfer students. She spent countless hours reviewing the new General Education proposal and its potential impact on Augsburg’s transfer student population. Christine pays attention to detail, uses data to demonstrate a need, and provides well-constructed responses for consideration. Christine identifies issues but always bring possible solutions to the table. Her research, collaboration, and follow-through have led to many meaningful conversation with the General Education Design Team. Christine’s work will have a positive impact on the Revised General Education Proposal which ultimately will benefit our transfer student population. Beyond this specific example, Christine is one of the most dedicated individuals I have worked with. She cares about our team, has high ethical and moral standards, and always puts our students first!

Maggie Sotos

Admissions gathers with Maggie for a photo
Congratulations Maggie for receiving the December Auggie Pride Award

Nomination: The Auggie Pride Staff Recognition Program honors staff members who go above and beyond on behalf…
   Augsburg’s mission statement leads with its dedication to creating informed citizens. These past few months, Maggie volunteered her time to engage both the admissions and admissions operations teams to participate in the November elections. Maggie regularly shared information on polling places, how to register, challenged the teams to research candidates and ballot issues, and brought in treats (and humor!) to incentivize the teams to vote. She challenged us to engage in the process in a thoughtful and meaningful way. I have to stress that Maggie didn’t care HOW we voted politically, but rather that we leverage our individual agency to affect collective community engagement. Maggie’s endless team spirit, motivation, and advocacy resulted in a 100% voter turnout among our departments! If her efforts don’t embody the very core of informed citizenship and thoughtful stewardship, I don’t know what does! Maggie brings passion to her work and lives out the University mission in her day-to-day connections with those around her, and I am thankful for the experience and vigor she brings to the University.

November 2018 Auggie Pride Recipients

Congratulations to Sheila Fox Wassink, Disability Specialist and Hana Salad, EAST Program Manager for receiving the November Auggie Pride Awards. Their impact on Augsburg’s students is unmeasurable as they constant go above and beyond their call of duty. Staff Senate admires their outstanding work and are honored to award them with this month’s Auggie Pride Award.

Sheila Fox Wassink

CLASS office staff group photo
Congratulations Sheila for receiving the November Auggie Pride Award

Nomination: Sheila has provided primary leadership for assisting students with physical disabilities since we merged the Access Center with the CLASS Office when Sadie Curtis retired. While Sheila has taken on this leadership task for the last few years, in recent months she brought together several to review challenges in the new Hagfors Center and come up with solutions. As she gets ready to retire at the end of December, Sheila is making sure colleagues and her supervisor in CLASS have the background and knowledge to assist students after she retires. Sheila does all this on top of the specific work she does with students this semester.

Hana Salad

Nomination: Hana is the manager of the East African Student to Teacher (EAST) scholarship program in the Education Department. It is recruitment time for our new cohort of EAST Scholars! Hana has done incredible work with outreach. We have over 70 people who are planning to apply for about 15 spots. Hana has single handedly increased our visibility—making personal and professional connections across the Twin Cities—attending meetings in and across the East African communities to spread the word about our scholarship and Augsburg University. Hana does this work while actively supporting the academic success of our currently enrolled students—who are thriving at Augsburg and as future teachers because of Hana‘s individual support. She takes calls and texts from students 24/7. Her tireless advocacy of Augsburg is making a difference.

To learn more about the Auggie Pride program and to make a nomination click here to visit our website.

September 2018 AUGGIE PRIDE RECIPIENTS

Congratulations to Ilse Rolf, Gift Entry Administrative Assistant and Bonnie Tensen, E-Learning Specialist for receiving the September Auggie Pride Awards. Their constant support and service to others cross campus impacts far beyond those they work with. Staff Senate admires their outstanding work and are honored to award them with this month’s Auggie Pride Award.

Ilse Rolf

Institutional Advancement gathers for a group picture to celebrate Ilse's award
Congratulations Ilse for receiving the September Auggie Pride Award

Nomination: Ilse keeps IA running- she deposits all donations that Augsburg receives, registers people for all kinds of events on and off campus, and works hand in hand with Accounting to ensure everyone’s gifts to Augsburg are channeled into the right place- just to name a FEW things that she does! Not only is she a dedicated employee, she’s also supportive of her team and her department- ready to lend a helping hand or an listening ear to anything that comes up. She’s also part of a multi-generational Augsburg family, and her love of this place and it’s people shines through all the work that she does. I have no idea what our department would do without her, and that is why she is a very deserving candidate for the Auggie Pride Award.

Bonnie Tensen

IT gathers to celebrate Bonnie's award
Congratulations Bonnie for receiving the September Auggie Pride Award

Nomination: Bonnie is integral to our university community. She serves as such an important resource for faculty as we work to makes our courses more accessible and engaging. She is a fantastic teacher, who is patient and willing to show you the same thing over and over until you get it. Most importantly, however, she is a great mentor. She has a wealth of experience and wisdom from working in higher ed. She recognizes strength in faculty (especially junior faculty members) and ensures an environment where those strengths are recognized and called upon for the good of the university.

Another September nomination that we’d like to recognize is our TRIO/SSS colleagues, Aly Olson, Kevin Cheatham, and Melody Geiger. Congratulations on your successful Summer Bridge program and the upcoming nationwide 50th Anniversary celebration! Thank you for all that you do for our students and community.

To learn more about the Auggie Pride program and to make a nomination click here to visit our website.

March 2018 Auggie Pride Recipients

Congratulations to Jack Hein, Admissions Operations Coordinator for receiving the March Auggie Pride Award. New in August, Jack hit the ground running and his colleagues, student workers, and prospective students have been impacted by his presence. Staff Senate admires the work he does everyday and are honored to award him with this month’s Auggie Pride Award.

Admissions gathers to celebrate Jack's Auggie Pride AwardJACK HEIN

Nomination: Jack Hein, Admissions Operations Coordinator, started at Augsburg in August 2017. August is really when admissions starts getting busy, however, that’s didn’t affect Jack of any sort as he is a true professional. Jack immediately jumped into the vortex of craziness without any hesitation by answering phones his first week and working with the Auggie Ambassadors on how to improve the service at the Admissions Front Desk. Jack truly brings his personality of a kind person, warm thoughts and more importantly his ability to stay calm when it is extremely busy. Jack works closely with our Auggie Ambassadors to the point that he has trained in over 15 students to be independent at the front with limited supervision. In addition Jack is always “hungry” to add to his skills by taking on additional tasks such as document processing, updating forms, and managing social media. We are blessed to have Jack part of our team.