Campus closed Monday, March 16

Open Enrollment

Nov. 11-29   Now through 5 p.m. Nov. 29. All employees must log-in to the system to choose benefits or waive benefits for the 2020 plan year which will begin on Jan. 1, 2020.

Thanksgiving

Nov. 28-29   Campus will be closed for Thanksgiving.

Christmas at Augustana

Dec. 7-8.  2 p.m. Centennial Hall   Employee tickets are $11 and can be purchased through the Ticket Office or online.  Ticket Office Manager Danielle Roman says better tickets are available for the Sunday performance.

Late Night Breakfast 

Dec. 9.  9-11 p.m.  Gerber Center   The tradition continues with a new date for our new calendar. The Dining Services team welcomes volunteers to serve our students as they prep for finals week. To volunteer, contact Amy Roehrs or call ext. 7543.

Holiday Luncheon 

Dec. 12.  11 a.m. - 1 p.m Gerber Center   Come wind down during finals week and enjoy a free holiday lunch at the Gerber Center with your colleagues.

Wellness Points

Dec. 13   Have you earned all your wellness points for the year? Stop in to Human Resources to collect your wellness gifts. After the 13th they will no longer be available.

Dahl President's Home Open House

Dec. 13.  11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.  Always wondered about the beautiful house located in the woods just off the slough path? President Bahls and his wife Jane are opening their doors and welcoming you in to enjoy the annual holiday open house. 

All employees at Augustana who are eligible to participate in the retirement plan have an automatic escalation that will happen on or around Jan. 1 each year. 

For anyone saving less than 10%, your savings percentage will escalate each year by 1% until you reach the 10% savings threshold. This feature is a best practice that was incorporated when we adopted our new plan to encourage all of us to continue saving for retirement. 

During the open enrollment period of Nov. 11-29, you will be reminded of the auto-escalation, and if you do not wish to increase your savings, complete a form to opt out of the escalation for this year. You can change you savings amount at any time, not just during open enrollment.  

Wondering what’s the right amount to save for retirement? Our vendor TIAA has many on-line tools and resources to assist you. Here is a video about their popular Retirement Profile program.

At this institution of higher learning, we are a community of experts! And each of us also has knowledge unrelated to the office or department where we work. So, every month Augie Works will ask a campus expert to provide some advice or a how-to.

This month, we ask:

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I've never had success with pie baking. What's the secret to a great pie and do you have a "can't miss" recipe for a first-timer?

Gerber Center baking experts Carol Kyles and Teresa Rusch respond:

The saying “easy as pie” is truly accurate and almost anyone can conquer pie-making. We’ve given you an “easy button” version as well as a homemade version. Both are guaranteed to be a hit!

Dutch Apple Pie

Easy Version

1 store-bought pie crust (in the frozen section at grocery store)
1 can apple pie filling

Thaw crust, open can of apple filling and pour into crust. Level filling and mix topping ingredients below:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oatmeal
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons melted butter

Mix the topping ingredients together with your hands and crumble on top of pie. Pat down topping.

Bake pie 35-40 minutes on 350-degree preheated oven.

Homemade Pie - you can do this!

Pro-tip from Teresa is to use regular Crisco (not buttered flavor) to make a can’t miss pie crust from scratch.

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening

3 to 6 tablespoons ice cold water

STIR flour and salt in large bowl until blended. Cut shortening into flour mixture using pastry blender or fork until shortening pieces are the size of peas. Gradually add just enough water, a tablespoon at a time, stirring with fork just until dough holds together and forms a smooth ball.

SHAPE dough into a ball. Flatten into 1/2-inch thick disk. Wrap disk in plastic wrap. Chill 30 minutes or up to two days.

ROLL dough on lightly floured surface, rolling from center outward. For 9-inch pie plate, roll into an 11-inch circle. For 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate, roll into a 12-inch circle. Transfer dough to pie plate.

Fold edge under and press to form a standing rim. Flute edge as desired. Chill until ready to use.

Pro-tip: When putting crust into pie tin,(do not grease the pie tin) fold dough into half then again into quarters. Then center in pan, open carefully, and crimp the edges on crust.

For fruit fillings, add a thickener like cornstarch or flour to fruit, so your bottom crust isn't soggy..

Finally, make a day ahead, so pie can settle , thicken and cool before cutting! Hope these tips help! Happy baking!

Have a question you’d like us to ask an expert? Or some timely advice or bit of knowledge you’d like to share? Please send it to Brittni DeGreve.

Andreen opened its doors for the Annual Hall-O-Dreen trick or treating through the residence hall. Not only were the children able to walk the halls to get candy but they also provided games and refreshments in the basement to enjoy as well.

Pictured is Chris Beyer, director of Residential Life and his family enjoying their time dressing up and walking the halls while Brittni DeGreve, administrative assistant in Human Resources and her daughter pose for a quick photo.

Chris Scott (structural technician in Facilities) and his wife welcomed their first grandchild Jax on Sept 5. 

Julianne Tongue (assistant director in Financial Aid) and her husband welcomed Evelyn (Evie) Maria Tongue on Sept. 25. She was 7 pounds, 8 ounces and 19 inches long with lots of hair. Her brother Aidan is enjoying being a big brother!

Michael Rogers (director of Student Inclusion and Diversity) and Ariel Rogers (area coordinator) welcomed their newest addition Malachi Aden Gabriel Rogers Nov. 1.