Augsburg News

News Archives - 2003

CGE receives award from National Society for Experiential Education

Oct. 29, 2003

The Center for Global Education of Augsburg College was recognized for its outstanding accomplishments by the National Society for Experiential Education.

The 2003 NSEE Awards Ceremony luncheon, held October 17 at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis, was part of a four-day national conference. Some of the honors awarded included Pioneer of the Year, Higher Education Leader of the Year, Corporate Leader of the Year and Program of the Year, for which Augsburg's own CGE was recognized. The award was in recognition of an outstanding K-12 or higher education institution that demonstrates an exceptional commitment to experiential education in their classrooms or on their campuses.

CGE was cited as having "long been a leader in the field of study abroad. They offer quality experiential education experiences throughout the world; their cross-cultural education programs in Latin America, Southern Africa and other areas demonstrate experiential learning theory and pedagogy in action. CGE and its professional staff have also been role models, mentors, and leaders in experiential education and NSEE."

The award was accepted on behalf of his colleagues in CGE by Associate Dean for International Studies and director of the program, Orv Gingerich. Previous year's winners for this award include Chicago Semester, Alverno College, and Urban Life Center and the 2001 recipient of the NSEE Experiential Education Pioneer of the Year award was Augsburg College professor, Garry Hesser.

The National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) is a nonprofit membership association of educators, businesses, and community leaders. Founded in 1971, NSEE also serves as a national resource center for the development and improvement of experiential education programs nationwide.

Additional highlights of the Ceremony included an address by keynote speaker, Coleman McCarthy, Founder and Director of the Center For Teaching Peace and writer for The Washington Post for over 25 years.