meet the staff

bettine hoff hermanson, M.A.

PRogram Director

Bettine Hoff Hermanson is a proud member of the Center for Global Education and Experience (CGEE) team at Augsburg, and has newly accepted the role as the Norway Site Director. Previous to this role, Bettine served as the Director of the International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) office at Augsburg University. As the ISSS Director, Bettine was responsible for the leadership and coordination of advising services for international students and scholars and the admissions for exchange students, as well as provide academic, personal and emotional support for international students during their studies at Augsburg. Bettine's main focus is to support international students in achieving their academic goals, navigating our university, experiencing cultural transition, and developing intercultural leadership skills.

Bettine has also taught in the Cross Cultural and Language Department (Norwegian), as well as planned and executed annual international events like Nobel Peace Prize Forum and the Human Rights Forum, ensuring that important global perspectives and challenges are highlighted, discussed, and brought to campus. Bettine holds a Master of Arts in Leadership from Augsburg University, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from St. Olaf College (as an F-1 student), and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Akershus University College of Applied Sciences (HiOA) in Norway (currently known as OsloMet).

While your main point of contact during the program will be our site director (listed above), we also collaborate with our partners at the Østfold University of Applied Sciences (ØUAS), see below to learn more about the team of folks that will support you during your time in Norway.

Rebecca (Becky) Norvang

ØUAS STAFF, Admissions and Internationalisation

Master in Public Administration, MPA - University of North Dakota

Graduate Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship - University of North Dakota

Bachelor in Business Administration, Non-Profit Management - Augustana University

Oslo Year Programme, Norwegian Language - University of Oslo

(Becky's staff page at Østfold can be found here.)

Bengt Morten Maximilian Wenstøb

ØUAS Faculty, Department of Welfare, Management and Organisation

In fall 2025, Professor Bengt Morten Maximilian Wenstøb will teach the CGEE cohort course, "HIS 359: Making the Modern Welfare State: Nordic and U.S. Approaches."

Academic interests

National and international health.
Children's rights
National and international labour policy.

Background

Bachelor of Social Work, Cand.Socion., Diploma in Public Health, The Norwegian National Defence College (Sjefskurset) and Sommelier education.

Former field worker, child care and school psychological counseling.

Former member of the parliament.

(Bengt's faculty page at Østfold can be found here.)

Harald Borgebund

ØUAS Faculty, Department of Computer Science and Communication

In fall 2025, Professor Harald Borgebund will teach the CGEE cohort course, "ECO/ENV 279: Environment, Innovation, and Sustainability: The Nordic Economic Model."

Academic interests

My main interests are democratic theory and liberal political philosophy.

Background

I did my Ma and PhD at the University of York (UK) and finished my PhD on the relationship between liberal theories of justice and democracy in July 2009. At the same time I started teaching at the NLA Høgskolen in Bergen where I taught until 2015 when I started in my current position as Associate Professor in Political Science at Østfold University of Applied Sciences.

(Harald's faculty page at Østfold can be found here.)

Student Welfare Organisation in Østfold (SiØ)

Housing

Our students will have contacts with housing and residence halls staff once they have been assigned their room and building.

https://www.siost.hiof.no/about-si-/contact-us

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