Archives for January 2022

I hope you’ll join me in welcoming Rachel Farris to the university and seminary communities. Rachel joins us from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and will be the new director of public relations and internal communication on the shared services marketing and communication team. She has extensive experience in communication within higher education and in other nonprofit settings, along with a deep commitment to the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging work that is so important at both institutions. I am confident that she will become a trusted partner to our colleagues on both campuses. 

Rachel’s first day was Monday. She can be reached at farrisr@augsburg.edu.

Same great presentations from last fall, now with a fresh link to access them. Have you been wanting to go over this material again? Or intending to engage it for the first time? No time like the present!

Part 1: Welcoming Our LGBTQI2A Siblings Video

Part 1 Slide Deck

Part 2: Action Steps for Allyship

Part 2 Slide Deck

LGBTQI2A Resource List version 6

Remember, you must be logged in to your luthersem.edu account for these links to work.

Grab a mug of something warm and your favorite little nook for a Zoom coffee break with SLJ and Pastor Jeni at 11 a.m. Central this Tuesday, January 25. The Zoom link will be included in the community announcements email.

Join us at 10 a.m. Central TODAY, Monday, January 24, for a webinar about students loans and the exciting changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program that will benefit ministry professionals!

Register today! –

Busy today? We will record the session and post it for all students!

Questions? Contact Arlene Flancher of the Stewardship Leaders Program: aflancher001@luthersem.edu.

Luther Seminary’s COVID-19 protocols have required masks since the beginning of the pandemic, and this requirement remains in effect. Given the high COVID-19 test positivity and case rates in Ramsey and Hennepin counties as well as the new omicron variant, it is important for us all to adhere to this standard whenever we are on campus, regardless of our vaccination status. Masks can protect you and others, especially those who have not been vaccinated, such as children under 5.

Our mask policy remains limited to indoor areas; masks are not required outdoors. Individuals may remove masks when in private offices, but please remember to wear your mask in hallways.

Thank you for complying with our mask requirements. Helping one another stay healthy is one of the key things we can do to support community.

Reported employee cases: 0
Reported student cases: 0
Students in quarantine or isolation: 0

Reported cases only include students and employees who have been on campus within a period of time during which they may have been contagious. According to the CDC this includes two days prior to the onset of symptoms or a positive test.

If you have recently tested positive for COVID-19, or if you are an unvaccinated individual who has been in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 (close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of that person for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period), please report that to the appropriate person. For employees, that person is Michael Morrow (mmorrow001@luthersem.edu). Students should contact David Fenrick; email deanofstudents@luthersem.edu, or text 651-300-3537.

Contact Tracing Protocol

When an on-campus case of COVID-19 is reported, that person is first asked to stay off-campus and quarantine in accordance with CDC guidelines. In addition, the seminary takes two steps for contact tracing:

1. The Minnesota Department of Health is notified, per guidelines for institutions of higher education

2. The person reporting the case is asked to identify “close contacts”; the close contacts identified are notified of the exposure and asked to follow CDC guidelines for testing and quarantining (quarantine applies only to close contacts who are unvaccinated).