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Augsburg鈥檚 Interfaith Institute receives grant to develop Muslim interfaith leadership cohort

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"AVD initials with text 'The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations' in gold."含羞草传媒鈥檚 Interfaith Institute was recently awarded a grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. Funding will be used to create a Muslim-led cohort of students from colleges throughout the Midwest; these students will offer interfaith leadership opportunities for their campuses. Cohort members will receive skill-building around topics like best practices for interfaith engagement in higher education and how to address campus conflicts involving religion.听

鈥淲e are excited for this opportunity to share Augsburg’s interfaith learnings with other campus communities,鈥� says Najeeba Syeed, El-Hibri Endowed Chair and executive director of the Interfaith Institute at Augsburg. 鈥淭hese students will become interfaith leaders who are equipped to facilitate dialogue and build bridges within their communities and throughout their professional lives.鈥澨�

The project aims to build capacity on college campuses for Muslim students to lead interfaith engagement among their peers. Located in the culturally diverse Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, Augsburg is uniquely equipped to carry out this work, with 66% of undergraduate students identifying as Black, Indigenous, or as People of Color, and over 12% as Muslim. Interfaith engagement is a core aspect of Augsburg鈥檚 academic mission and strategic plan. The university launched the Interfaith Institute in 2018 and appointed Najeeba Syeed听as the inaugural El-Hibri Endowed Chair and executive director in 2022.听

The $189,630 grant will be distributed between August 2024 and July 2026. Interfaith Leadership and Religious Literacy program area supports organizations that invest in courageous multi-faith conversations and collaborations.

Augsburg鈥檚 Dahn Gim Receives McKnight Visual Artist Fellowship

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Black, white, and red wordmark reading "McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowships"Dahn Gim, an assistant professor of art and design at 含羞草传媒, has been named one of six . Funded by the McKnight Foundation and administered by the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the fellowship provides $25,000 in unrestricted support and a variety of professional development opportunities for outstanding mid-career artists in Minnesota.听

Dahn Gim is an artist, curator, and educator who was born in Busan, South Korea and raised in Canada. Her work reflects the dual perspectives of being both an insider and outsider, shaped by the nomadic ebb and flow of perpetual immigrant status. She explores the complexities of hybrid identity, grappling with the friction and fragmentation of assimilation and dislocation. Her artistic practice is deeply informed by self-inquiry during times of dispersion, uncertainty, and rootlessness.听

Professor Gim channels these experiences through various mediums, including video, sculpture, participatory drawings, durational performance, and installation. After completing her MFA in media arts at UCLA in 2015, Gim has exhibited her work at notable venues and art festivals around the world.听

Learn more about her work at .

Terrance Kwame-Ross Appointed 含羞草传媒鈥檚 Sabo Professor

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Terrance Kwame-Ross smiles at the camera in Lindell Library at 含羞草传媒. He is a Black man wearing a gray turtleneck and black-framed glasses.Terrance Kwame-Ross has been named the Martin Olav Sabo Endowed Chair in Public Service and Citizenship at 含羞草传媒, effective June 1, 2024.

鈥淭he Sabo professorship recognizes a distinguished academic and citizen whose work at 含羞草传媒 exemplifies the university鈥檚 commitment to education for democracy,鈥� said President Paul Pribbenow. 鈥淚 can think of no member of the Augsburg community who embodies this commitment more deeply and holistically than Terrance Kwame-Ross.鈥�

Kwame-Ross is an associate professor of education whose scholarship, service, and teaching practice focus on how individuals and human groups grow, develop, and change over time. At Augsburg, he teaches critical histories and philosophies of education, school and society, decolonizing social studies methods, experiential learning, and learning and development courses.

“Professor Kwame-Ross鈥� impressive record of public scholarship, community leadership, and exceptional teaching embodies Martin Sabo’s commitment to education as the path to an inclusive democracy. This appointment affirms his leadership role in advancing this work at Augsburg with and for our students,鈥� said Paula O鈥橪oughlin, provost and senior vice president for academic and student affairs.

With over 30 years of experience in schools, community, and treatment settings, Kwame-Ross brings an interrogative, interdisciplinary, integrative, and intersectional pedagogical approach to teaching and learning across school, society, family, and church for 鈥渨hole-beingness.鈥� He holds an M.Ed.in youth development leadership and a Ph.D. in work, community, and family education, both from the University of Minnesota.

Generous alumni and friends of Augsburg established the endowed chair in 2007 to honor the civic legacy of Congressman Martin Olav Sabo 鈥�59. With this appointment, Kwame-Ross succeeds Garry Hesser, Augsburg鈥檚 first Sabo professor.

Michael Wentzel Appointed 含羞草传媒鈥檚 Lindstrom Professor of Chemistry

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Michael Wentzel is wearing a white lab coat and green t-shirt and working on a chemistry experiment in a lab.Michael Wentzel has been named the inaugural Terry 鈥�73 and Janet Lindstrom Endowed Professor of Chemistry at 含羞草传媒, effective June 1, 2024.听

鈥淲e are so fortunate to have Michael Wentzel on our faculty,鈥� said Paula O鈥橪oughlin, provost and senior vice president for academic and student affairs. 鈥淗e is an extraordinary teacher and an outstanding scientist. Even more significant is his generosity as a colleague and mentor. By engaging undergraduate students as partners in his own impressive research program, he helps students unlock possibilities they never imagined before, both for themselves and for a more sustainable future.鈥澨�

Wentzel is an organic chemist whose research focuses on the growing field of green chemistry, a systems-based approach that incorporates sustainability considerations into the the design, development, and implementation of chemical products and processes. As one of the first green chemists to be named a fellow by the Science Communication Network in 2018鈥�19, he also works to help students and other researchers communicate their methods and findings to the public more effectively.听

Wentzel received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 2011. He joined Augsburg鈥檚 chemistry department in 2013, where he currently oversees STEM summer research and serves as department chair. He also serves as interim director of Augsburg鈥檚 Office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity.听听听

鈥淢ichael Wentzel鈥檚 approach to teaching and scholarship is exactly the kind of leadership Terry and Janet Lindstrom desired to support with their transformative investment in our new School of Natural Sciences,鈥� said Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow. 鈥淲hether in the lab, in the classroom, or on the chemistry club intramural basketball team, he is steadfast in his commitment to hands-on learning and in saying 鈥榶es鈥� to helping our students reach their goals.鈥�

The Terry 鈥�73 and Janet Lindstrom Endowed Professorship of Chemistry was established in 2024. Terry Lindstrom, a current member of Augsburg鈥檚 Board of Regents and a retired distinguished research fellow at Eli Lilly and Company, holds numerous patents supporting life-changing drugs, including Evista and Cymbalta. Together, the Lindstroms have provided generous philanthropic support to Augsburg students for more than 40 years.

Augsburg Nursing Faculty Focus on Infant Health Through MDH Grant

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A woman holds a baby at Health Commons. Both are wearing winter hats and jackets.
Health Commons visitors

含羞草传媒 Assistant Professor of Nursing Katie Martin is the recipient of a $160,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Health to support infant health in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. Martin is a certified midwife who has been providing care to expecting mothers in the area for over 20 years. Since beginning her academic tenure at Augsburg in 2021, she has become a coordinator at the Health Commons and the director of the BSN-completion program in addition to her teaching responsibilities.

鈥淚 have been honored to work at the Health Commons in Cedar Riverside over this past year and am so excited that this generous grant allows us to be able to expand the work we do,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淲e鈥檒l restart programs that were happening pre-pandemic centered on maternal and infant health through community-led programming and community-based research.鈥�

The funds from this grant will support new projects at the Health Commons in Cedar-Riverside, a health-focused drop-in center that is offered through a decade-long partnership between Augsburg, M Health Fairview, and the East Africa Health Project. Aligned with the goal to reduce infant mortality in Minnesota, Martin and the Health Commons team are focused on three objectives:听

  1. Infants in the Cedar-Riverside community are born at term and at a healthy weight.
  2. Infants in the Cedar-Riverside community survive and thrive in their first year of life.
  3. East African Immigrants trust and feel safe with their health care providers in the Minneapolis metropolitan area.

This grant-funded work will be led by an Infant Health Advisory Committee organized by Martin. Much of the activities of the grant include offering infant health educational courses, distributing safe cribs, increasing safe sleep messaging and prenatal care, and hosting monthly birth celebrations at the Health Commons in Cedar-Riverside. Additionally, graduate students will be able to complete a paid internship through this grant and assist in a research project. This grant will also support ongoing programming and health services currently offered at the Health Commons, such as blood pressure checks and movement and mindfulness classes.

鈥淭his grant was extremely competitive and is a tribute to Dr. Martin’s expertise in infant health, health equity, and her relationships in Cedar-Riverside,鈥� said Associate Professor Katie Clark, chair of Augsburg鈥檚 department of nursing and executive director of the Health Commons.听 鈥淐ongratulations, Dr. Martin!鈥�

Learn more about Augsburg鈥檚 Health Commons locations, range of services, and operating hours.

Announcing the Lindstrom Endowed Professorship of Chemistry at 含羞草传媒

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含羞草传媒 is pleased to announce the establishment of the Terry 鈥�73 and Janet Lindstrom Endowed Professorship of Chemistry.

Terry and Janet Lindstrom have generously supported Augsburg for over 40 years. Their philanthropic support includes the Augsburg Fund, summer research opportunities, the Student Emergency Fund, and the Hagfors Center. After a distinguished career in drug discovery and development at Eli Lilly and Company, Terry retired in 2010. He joined Augsburg鈥檚 Board of Regents in 2018, where he chairs the enrollment management committee.

Endowed professorships like the Lindstrom Endowed Professor of Chemistry play a vital role in supporting faculty, promoting academic excellence, and ensuring the long-term success of students. 鈥淭his transformative gift affirms Augsburg鈥檚 longstanding commitment to excellence in the natural sciences,鈥� said President Paul Pribbenow. 鈥淚n a time when scientific knowledge has itself become contested, we are incredibly grateful to the Lindstroms for this investment to strengthen the critical leadership of our faculty.鈥�

Learn more about the Lindstroms and the Lindstrom Endowed Professorship.

Chris Stedman 鈥�08 Talks Religious 鈥淣ones鈥� With MPR

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MPR News logoOn March 5, Chris Stedman 鈥�08 joined Minnesota Public Radio to talk about religious “nones”鈥攑eople who check the 鈥渘one鈥� box when asked about their religious affiliation. Stedman, who teaches in Augsburg鈥檚 Department of Religion and Philosophy, is working on a book that explores the cultural forces behind the rise in 鈥渘ones.鈥� His conversation with Cathy Wurzer was part of a new Minnesota Now series called 鈥淔aith in Minnesota.鈥�

鈥淚 don’t think it’s that religion is going away,鈥� Stedman said. 鈥淩ather I think there are these cultural forces that are pushing people out of religious institutions and institutions more broadly, as you say, things like consumerism that pushes us to think of ourselves as individual consumers rather than part of this larger whole, things like increasingly precarious employment, which makes it harder to participate regularly in things and makes us feel like religion or spirituality is something we have to do on our own time fitted in between all our other commitments and obligations if we have time to think about it at all.

鈥淪o to me, if people are worried about the decline of religious affiliation or participation, the biggest thing they can do honestly is to work toward a more equitable and just world where people have more time to consider life’s big questions, to get engaged with the world around them, and connect and participate and belong. And this is why I love teaching this religion class I teach at Augsburg because my main goal there is simply to help carve out space in my student’s busy, demanding lives to reflect on what matters to them and why and on their responsibility to the world around them, all the kinds of questions that religion at its best puts before people.鈥�

New York Times Quotes Professor Michael Lansing on Historic All-Female St. Paul City Council

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New York Times wordmarkMichael Lansing, professor and chair of history at 含羞草传媒, was quoted in a January 10 New York Times article about the swearing-in of St. Paul鈥檚 first all-female city council. For the first time, all seven city council members are women; they are also younger and more racially diverse than any council in St. Paul’s history.听

Lansing, an active public historian, spoke to the Times about demographic shifts in recent decades that helped lay the groundwork for this historic election. The election of seven women to city council is 鈥渁 turning point for St. Paul,鈥� he told the Times.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e all under 40, they come from these different backgrounds, they鈥檙e probably going to be in politics for a while,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat do they do? What can they change? How do they see things differently?鈥�

‘Humble Listening’: Najeeba Syeed Featured on Interfaith America Podcast

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Najeeba Syeed is wearing a pink heaadscarf, round gold earrings, and a purple shirt while posing against a blue and purple background.Najeeba Syeed, El-Hibri Endowed Chair and executive director of the Interfaith Institute at 含羞草传媒, was a recent guest on the with I鈥檓 Eboo Patel. The conversation explored the ethics and future of interfaith work amid deep divides across religious communities, the impact of global wars and crises on religious communities, and the role of institutions in promoting interfaith understanding through open-mindedness and deep listening.听

Towards the end of the podcast, Professor Syeed reflected on fostering constructive interfaith conversations in the classroom and on campus:

鈥淭o me, the confidence that I have in being Muslim and the teachings and the capacity is not impinged upon by being present for people of other faiths,” she said. “I can walk into a space and I have a deep belief that I鈥檓 there because of the calling of being a Muslim. It isn鈥檛 a threat to me to show up and exhibit rahma or which is compassion. It comes from the root word Rahmah, the same in Hebrew around the idea of the womb to express compassion for others because it isn鈥檛 a threat to my own interpretation of who I am. 鈥� It鈥檚 a position of strength and not a position of deficiency.”

鈥淭hat to me is a spiritual lesson that interfaith can bring to so many of the dialogues that we鈥檙e trying to have on our campus, is that maybe the position of strength is actually doing this humble listening.”

“The position of strength doesn鈥檛 mean that we move to a diluted, common understanding of the world where we all accept one interpretation, a universal theology, or one diluted version. Maybe the strength is that we listen to each other.鈥�听

MPR Interviews Religion Instructor Chris Stedman 鈥�08 About Award-Winning Podcast and Britney Spears

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MPR News logoChris Stedman 鈥�08 joined MPR’s Cathy Wurzer on Minnesota Now on October 25 to discuss his podcast, 鈥淯nread,鈥� and its connection to Britney Spears, who recently released a new memoir. 鈥淯nread,鈥� which was named one of the best podcasts of 2021 by Vulture and the Guardian, among others, is a four-part series that explores friendship and grief following the death of a close friend of Stedman鈥檚.听

鈥淎s I was processing his death and trying to make sense of what happened, I found myself thinking so much about why he loved Britney and the resonances that he felt with her and her story, which ultimately is what led me to make Unread,鈥� says Stedman in the interview with MPR. 鈥淎nd really, that’s one of the sort of things that I explore in that podcast in addition to this Britney-related mystery that he left for me when he died, which was kind of what started my exploration is just, why is it that so many people who seem to struggle in life in some way, as he did, see themselves reflected in the experiences of Britney?鈥�

Stedman teaches in Augsburg鈥檚 Department of Religion and Philosophy. In addition to 鈥淯nread,鈥� he is the author of 鈥淚RL: Finding Realness, Meaning, and Belonging in Our Digital Lives鈥� and 鈥淔aitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious.鈥� For the 2023鈥�24 academic year, he is also serving as the Augsburg Interfaith Institute鈥檚 inaugural research fellow.听