Schafer: They didn't have roadmaps in front of them about how to proceed through college. They didn't even know the language, often times, of higher education. They didn't know what they didn't know. (laughs) And so it was very rewarding to watch those students progress, develop skills, go on to graduate schools, go on to medical school ...

Pribbenow: I'm Paul Pribbenow. President of Augsburg University. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers and responsible leaders. It's my great privilege to present the Augsburg podcast, one way you can meet some of the faculty and staff I'm honored to work with every day.

Schafer: It seems daunting to be a researcher as an undergraduate student, but it isn't when you work with our faculty because they do layer the experience with support and structure. My name is Dixie Schafer and I direct the Office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity, which no one calls it that at this campus, we call it URGO.

So I grew up on a farm outside of Detroit Lakes Minnesota. College at Morehead State, just the state school, an hour away. That's where I discovered I loved English Literature and I think I was always a good student, but then I fell in love with learning. Then I found an opening at Augsburg which was also another federal [trio 00:01:30] program, but it's the McNair Scholars Program, which works with students already in college preparing them from doctoral study, and these are students who are low income, first generation, or for groups under represented in higher education.

So that's where everything really came together because I had a small group of students, 18 students. I would have them for two years. I could really get to know those students. I could get to know their families. I could help them with their writing. Um, we started having ah, summer research programs, so I was working with their faculty members, and helping them with their presentations, taking them to conferences, some of them have never been on a plane, and they were going all together, and that's where I really realized that I loved how transformative education can be and I watched it in front of me. And I loved what I was learning, and a very diverse group of students, and I realized how important the cohort model was for a group of first generation students. That's where the, the love for teaching writing and the love for one on one advising, and the love for developing someone, and actually kind of helping someone see that they probably can go farther, then where, then when, what they can actually see right now. Nd so you keep pushing them to see what that farther is. You know, day one of research, they're looking around the room wondering, "Why was I selected?" And by the end, when they're pre- making their presentation on their research, they're the experts in that area and there's a level of confidence, and a knowledge about what I takes to be a researcher.

I asked the students, you know, first year students, how many years they'll be at Augsburg University? And they say, "Four." And I said, "How many semesters is that?" And they say, "Eight." And then I tell 'em, "I'm an English major and my math is much better than yours because you're here 11 semesters. Why do I say you're here 11 semester?" And inevitably a few in the audience say, "Summers." And I say, "Exactly. Because how you spend your summers (laughs) is really gonna determine what is next for you, post Augsburg University. And you are now in an competition with people who you're sitting next to, but more importantly from people from other universities who are now spending their summers wisely."

A student takes from one experience to the next experience and grows, and learns, and so by the time they leave they're ready for graduate school. They're ready for the workforce. They might be ready for a national fellowship. So we do a lot of work of trying to craft that scaffolding that students can benefit from.

Trevor [Rodriguez 00:04:11] came to Augsburg, a latino male, low income, first generation college student, who first summer, did research under URGO, Undergraduate Research Graduate Opportunity, our program. So ever since I met him, I knew he wanted to work in the automotive industry. So that was his dream and he didn't know quite what path it would take to get there. He ends up getting admitted to I don't know how many schools, but he chooses Clemson University, very um, prestigious program and he's awarded the BMW Fellowship. So they pay for full two years of his master's degree and he ends up with a master's in Mechanical Engineering. And I also remember meeting his parents and just the gratitude they have for how he moved through all these stages, and developed.

And I think what Augsburg does so well is, I think we invite students to try experiences and to push themselves in the areas that they might feel a little bit uncomfortable in, but always with this level of support. Like, it's, it seems daunting to be a researcher as an undergraduate student, but it isn't when you work with our faculty because they do um, layer the experience with support and structure, and so these experiences end up being successful. But it is that invitation that a faculty member might make that says, "I think you might be great at summer research." Or maybe they'll say, "You might think about applying for a Fulbright?" Or I might see somebody in the summer research ah, program and suggest, "Have you thought about graduate school?"

So I think our campus does a good just of inviting and then underneath that you have to support (laughs) because there needs to be sort of the ... There needs to be the skillset that students can have to reach that next ah, level that they, that they might not know that they can achieve. They need sometimes, just motivation or someone just to believe in them and that's, that's powerful when someone believes in you, and I see that all the time on this campus, that people, faculty, staff believe in students and then students start to believe in themselves, believe in one another, and [they 00:06:33] can start being a low income, first generation college student who's never heard the word Fulbright and over a series of experiences, that you can be applying to graduate school with even a certain level of confidence.

Pribbenow: That was Dixie Schafer, Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity, which we call URGO. I'm President Paul Pribbenow. For more information, please visit Augsburg.edu.