Augsburg CollegeÕs Lilly Endowment Grant: 2002-2006
About Augsburg College:
Augsburg College, founded in 1869, is a private, coeducational liberal arts institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with a growing program in Rochester, Minnesota, the College has an enrollment of approximately 3,000 students from 39 countries and 40 states (in the fall of 2001). AugsburgÕs mission is Òto nurture future leaders in service to the world by providing high quality educational opportunities, which are based in the liberal arts and shaped by the faith and values of the Christian church, by the context of a vital metropolitan area, and by an intentionally diverse campus community.Ó
Staff Contacts for ÒExploring Our GiftsÓ:
Mark Tranvik, Program Director and Associate Professor of Religion
612-330-1521, tranvik@augsburg.edu
Juliana Sedgley, Program Assistant
612-330-1334, sedgley@augsburg.edu
ÒExploring Our GiftsÓ: The Program Design and Plan for Implementation:
ÒExploring Our GiftsÓ is a program that will follow students throughout their academic careers at Augsburg College, from orientation to graduation, and beyond. Through spiritual examination of vocation in courses, lectures, and retreats, exploration of the world through internships and study abroad experiences, and formation of relationships with the community through mentoring programs and service projects, students will be given the tools to connect faith, vocation, and work throughout their lives. In addition, the faculty and staff of Augsburg College will also be given opportunities to reflect on and become involved in the discussion of vocation so that they may cultivate their own sense of the connection of spirituality to their work and, in so doing, assist and serve as models to students on their vocational journey. ÒExploring Our GiftsÓ will be developed through four themes, each with specific goals and plans for implementation:
Campus Ministries will hold monthly worship mini-convocations during the academic year with themes oriented to vocation.
New students and their parents will be introduced to the theological exploration of vocation through campus tours, the college website, contacts with students, and presentations made by faculty and staff during Summer Orientation and Welcome Week.
Campus Ministries, Center for Service Work and Learning, and others will create mentoring groups that include students, faculty and staff, and alumni. In meetings and retreats the group participants will be directed toward fostering spiritual growth and maturation while reflecting on vocation.
Center for Service Work and Learning will adopt tools that will enable students to engage in conversation with a career counselor and reflect on the deeper questions of purpose and call before they choose careers and professions.
Faculty will incorporate theological reflection on vocation into AugSem by devoting parts of two or more sessions to discussion about and reflection on vocation.
The grant provides faculty incentives to develop and offer six new courses centered on vocation, some of which will be designed to meet the specific needs of students who intend to pursue careers in Christian ministry. The College will also encourage the revision of existing courses to emphasize vocation.
The Center for Global Education will help faculty develop or revise courses with an international component. Students will receive funding to participate in international seminars and will share their experiences with each other and other students on campus.
Augsburg will award ten $2000 stipends per year to students (who will be termed Lilly Scholars) who indicate an interest in exploring going to seminary after graduation.
The grant subsidizes students who are interested in serving as camp counselors but who cannot afford to do so for financial considerations.
The grant provides students with an opportunity to live, learn, and serve in a theme house located in a neighborhood close to campus. Students will be paired with and tutor disadvantaged youth in the larger community.
The grant provides stipends to 32 selected Lilly Interns to participate in semester internship experiences at non-profit sites in partnership with the College. Accompanying seminars will allow them to reflect on their experiences.
Students will be subsidized to participate in one-week immersion experiences in Washington, D.C., where they will visit local organizations and churches, shadow a person in the community, attend lectures, and take part in self-assessment exercises and reflections.
The College will hold a one-week institute for about 200 high school students drawn from the four synods of the ELCA. Twenty Augsburg students who have participated in the Vocatio groups will assist the Campus Ministry staff.
Mentoring teams will provide new faculty and staff orientation to AugsburgÕs mission, culture and Lutheran model of vocation.
The grant will provide for two different professional development options, consisting of discussion, workshops, and projects on Vocation, one during two summers and the other during the academic year.
C. Vocation Forums
The grant will bring speakers and experts for the professional development of faculty, staff, and students through workshops and convocations.