MLK celebration to include youth forum
Passing the Torch, an annual community-wide celebration and tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will take place Jan. 16 at Augustana. For the first time, the celebration will include a community youth forum.
Ecuador Project could change service-learning
An initiative to create more meaningful service-learning projects for students, ones in which the real benefits are measured for the communities they serve, is gaining momentum on campus. David Voland ‘15 galvanized the movement after spending a summer at a school for special-needs students in Ecuador. Now, Gabrielle Snyder ‘18, an English/secondary education major, is picking up the torch.
Augustana receives grants for vocational exploration, servant-leadership
Several organizations have contributed tens-of-thousands of dollars to help fund servant-leader internships. One of the projects associated with these grants is to strengthen the vocational exploration with senior students and recent alumni.
Augustana shows shoe support against climate change
Hanging 108 pairs of shoes on an Augustana College stairway Thursday was a step toward reducing carbon footprints. The college's Global Affect student group led students and professors in tying pairs of shoes on banisters of a tower staircase, to replicate a demonstration tied to a United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris.
'Trifles' first in series of student-directed plays
A popular 99-year-old play by a famous Davenport native is the first in a series of student-directed plays at Augustana. "Trifles" by Susan Glaspell will be performed Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 1:30 p.m., in the Black Box Theatre, Bergendoff Hall. It's directed by theater and psychology major Jacob Kilburg.
Fistler '03 records popular Christian podcast
"Pulpit Fiction" has thousands of listeners; it's in the top 100 on iTunes and is a source of information — and inspiration — for ministers, as well as regular folks who want to know more about the Bible. It is recorded by the Rev. Robb McCoy of Two Rivers United Methodist Church, Rock Island, and his buddy from seminary school, the Rev. Eric Fistler, now of Crystal Lake, Ill. Fistler '03 studied classics, philosophy and religion at Augustana.
Frieze Lecture: Einstein revolutionized thinking about the universe
Dr. Cecilia Vogel, Augustana professor of physics, discusses how the publishing of Einstein's Theory of Relativity in 1915 revolutionized thinking about the universe. This is the fourth in the 2015 Frieze Lecture Series, an 18-year partnership between the Rock Island Public Library and Augustana College. The series theme this year was "1915 – A Landmark Year."
Senior's thesis on state park accepted for presentation
History major Bonnie Thornton's senior history honors thesis has been accepted for presentation at the National Conference of Phi Alpha Theta national history honors society in January. Selection is competitive. Her paper is entitled "The Politics of Collective Morality: Orchestrating the Natural Conservation and Historic Preservation of Blackhawk Watch Tower Park, 1917-1927."
Omar '16 helps father treat Syrian refugees in Jordan
Augustana's Lubna Omar '16 volunteers as a medical translator for physicians at refugee camps in Jordan. Omar accompanies her father, Dr. Majdi Omar, who has treated hundreds of Syrian children at camps in Jordan. “It’s disheartening to see how many people live in Jordan and aren’t willing to help because Syria is our neighbor and these people are Arab — the same as we are,” she said.
Updike: Dad's stories true in essence, not details
Speaking at Augustana, author David Updike said it is hard to determine how much is true in the stories his famous father wrote about him and his siblings. "I think it's true in its essence," he said, "but not in its details." Born in 1932, John Updike was an American author known for his novels, short stories and poetry. He won two Pulitzer Prizes for fiction.