Augustana awarded $105,000 to launch business-liberal arts scholars program

A $105,000 “Vocation Across the Academy” grant from the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) will help Augustana College launch an enrichment and mentorship program for business administration students.

Next fall, Augustana business administration majors can opt to enroll in the Business Education Steeped in the Liberal Arts (BESLA) scholars program. Built upon the strengths of Augustana’s liberal arts education, the program is designed to enhance career, vocational reflection and graduates’ contributions to the common good.

Dr Jason Mahn and Dr. Amanda Baugous, with assistance from the Office of Advancement and support from Provost Dr. Diana Shandy and President Andrea Talentino, wrote a grant proposal for the program to submit to NetVUE last spring.

About 20 percent of Augustana’s 2,500 students major in business administration. The program aims to not only prepare students for the workforce, but also equip them to think critically, communicate effectively, and reflect on the meaning and purpose of their careers and contributions to their communities.

“The BESLA program will enable students to take full advantage of their liberal (broad) learning so that they can be tomorrow's business and civic leaders in a diverse and changing world,” said Dr. Mahn, professor of religion.

Dr. Mahn is the director of Augustana’s Presidential Center for Faith and Learning. The center upholds Augustana’s five faith commitments as a Lutheran liberal arts institution: interfaith engagement, social justice, spiritual exploration, reasoned examination and vocational discernment. 

This spring Dr. Mahn and Dr. Baugous, professor of business administration, will co-teach a pilot course for first-year and sophomore students called "Religion and the Vocation of Business."

Planning for other academic components is underway, Dr. Baugous said, and includes faculty from across campus. 

Augustana will enroll 20-30 students in its inaugural BESLA cohort in fall 2025. Business administration majors enrolling in BESLA will engage in the following:

• Pursue a second major or minor from the traditional liberal arts disciplines, such as English, religion, political science, art or music
• Devote a portion of their general education requirement to courses tailored to the intersection of career, calling, happiness, industry and living good lives
• Participate in co-curricular activities with mentors from local business and nonprofit organizations

Business majors at Augustana currently select from concentrations in business intelligence, finance, international business, management and marketing. Dr. Mahn said BESLA knits these business emphases with the liberal arts and Lutheran education values to support deep and broad learning, while also building a close community of reflective leaders.

He said Augustana graduates sometimes don’t realize how their liberal arts education has prepared them for leadership roles until five to 10 years into their careers.

“Alumni with a bit of perspective now speak about the deep and enduring value of their art history or religion or anthropology classes — how those studies prepared them for navigating the complexities of corporate America and a global economy,” Dr. Mahn said. “It also helped shape their personal commitments to civic leadership.”

Lindsay Adolphs, assistant vice president of CORE (Career, Opportunities, Research and Exploration) and community-engaged learning, is spearheading the community-connection portion of the BESLA program. Adolphs has recruited a group of business and civic leaders in the Quad Cities and Chicago area to serve as the BESLA Community Mentoring Board.

In addition to shaping the program, board members will engage with BESLA scholars at dinner and dialogue events, with a focus on challenges and opportunities in the business world and our communities.

“Augustana alumni and other business leaders will play a role in mentoring students about work-life balance, community engagement and lives well-lived,” said Dr. Mahn. “ We want top-notch business students who are prepared to grow into their deepest sense of calling in a world that desperately needs them.” 

Augustana’s program takes inspiration from the Sheedy Family Program in Economy, Enterprise and Society at the University of Notre Dame. Augustana alumna Chris Hedlin ’11, who teaches and co-directs the selective, cohort-based Sheedy program, is consulting on Augustana’s BESLA program. Hedlin will led a Dinner & Dialogue event, “Why Business,” on Oct. 9 at Augustana’s Symposium Day.

"We plan to have three more Dinner & Dialogue events this spring semester to engage students and encourage their participation in the program," Dr. Baugous said. "We plan to do an event once per month during the academic year once the program rolls out."

The BESLA program is supported by the NetVUE grant and the Council of Independent Colleges and Lilly Endowment Inc. As part of the grant, the college is committed to raising $35,000 toward the program. Individuals interested in supporting this program can contact Kelly Read ’02 Noack, assistant vice president of individual giving and estate planning, at kellynoack@augustana.edu or 309-7994-7474.

NetVUE program Development Grants are financially supported by the Council of Independent Colleges and Lilly Endowment Inc.