Inauguration weekend academic sessions
Fall semester art exhibition
A faculty and alumni art exhibition will be in Wallenberg Hall throughout the semester, including during inauguration weekend.
Featured artists are: Steven Banks, Gray Cunnar '21, Matt Fitzsimmons, Elizabeth Hord '19, Paul Lange, Dr. Margaret Morse, Esme O'Rourke '20, Vickie R. Phipps, Faith Pickslay '19, Megan Quinn, Henry Roderick '17, Rowen Schussheim-Anderson, Corrine Smith, Lee White and Peter Xiao.
Friday, Oct. 14
Academic sessions in Wallenberg Hall, Denkmann Memorial Building
• 2 p.m. Session 1 Rock Island Lead Service Line Equitable Inventory, Finance and Replacement Project
In 2021, Illinois enacted the Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act. The act requires the inventorying lead service lines (LSLs), replacing of all LSLs within deadlines, and implementing financing strategies to fund such replacements. The act also requires that the entire process be just and equitable by requiring the prioritization of low-income, vulnerable neighborhoods.
Augustana students and faculty will partner with the city of Rock Island to collaboratively implement the LSL Replacement and Notification Act. The project provides students with high-impact learning experiences and opportunities to collaborate with community partners and stakeholders to make a difference in the world.
Dr. Michael Reisner, director, Upper Mississippi Center for Sustainable Communities
Dr. Kimberly Murphy, director, Center for Advancement of Community Health and Wellness
Dr. Jenny Arkle, Upper Mississippi Center program manager
Megan Baker, GIS specialist, city of Rock Island
• 3 p.m. Session 2 Focusing on the Future: New Programs at Augustana College
Directors of three current and upcoming programs will discuss how they are shaping programs to help Augustana stay at the forefront of preparing liberally educated leaders in our changing world.
The largest minority group in the United States is also the only one that anyone can join at any time. Disability does not discriminate based on race, class, age, gender, religion, etc. With the large number of disabled people in the United States and across the world, disability must be included in discussions of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, and non-disabled and disabled people alike need to understand the history and lived experiences of disabled people. The new disability minor at Augustana seeks to bridge these gaps.
The new minor in integrative medicine and the humanities brings together faculty from philosophy, history and art history with faculty from biology, chemistry and pre-professional health care programs. It will (1) deeply integrate humanities content to nurture the ethical, emotional, spiritual and social skills necessary to prepare individuals to serve as effective, caring health practitioners after graduation, and (2) establish and formalize a new experiential learning internship program focused on ethics and community outreach with local health care partner UnityPoint Health.
The film industry has exploded in recent years, and film is now forecast as one of the most desirable and fastest growing majors and post-graduation careers. In this presentation, find out how Augustana will be developing a film program within our liberal arts context, providing students with exciting academic and practical experiences that will set them up for success in a variety of fields.
Dr. Cathy Webb, assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders, on the disability program
Dr. Heidi Storl, professor of philosophy, on the integrative medicine and the humanities program
Stacy Barton, associate professor and director of film and new media, on the film program
• 4 p.m. Session 3: The Value(s) of Augustana as a Lutheran Liberal Arts College
There is much debate about the value of college, return on investment and whether higher education is worth it. An Augustana degree certainly has real value, but equally important are the deep values of our Lutheran liberal arts school.
Presenters will discuss why and how we have redefined what it means to be Lutheran over the past several decades, and how our institutional vocation and core values (or “faith commitments”) continue to lead us to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8).
Dr. Jason Mahn, director, Presidential Center for Faith and Learning
Dr. Monica M. Smith, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion
Saturday, Oct. 15
Academic sessions in Wallenberg Hall, Denkmann Memorial Building
• 9 a.m. Session 1: Sweden as Our Classroom: Partnerships with Uppsala University and Beyond
This session will feature how Augustana faculty and students are engaged in exciting new initiatives to renew and reimagine the college’s historic ties to Sweden and the Nordic region.
Central to many of these efforts has been a recently concluded six-year grant from the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation, which allowed many faculty to travel to Scandinavia, make professional contacts and plan study abroad courses.
A new memorandum of understanding with Uppsala University also resulted from these efforts and opens the door to future collaborations across all disciplines. This panel discussion will showcase some of what our faculty and students have been working on with Uppsala University and other partner institutions in Sweden.
Dr. Jenny Burnham, geography
Dr. Lena Hann, public health
Dr. Wendy Hilton-Morrow, provost, communication studies
Dr. Adam Hjorthén, Swedish Institute for North American Study, Uppsala University
Lisa Huntsha, Swenson Center
Maja Johnson '23
Dr. Mark Safstrom, Scandinavian studies
Dr. David Thornblad, business administration
• 10 a.m. Session 2: Music faculty recital
Join members of the music faculty as they perform an engaging and accessible variety of classic and contemporary musical works. Featured performers:
Dr. Michelle Crouch, soprano; Dr. Deborah Dakin, violin; Dr. Janina Ehrlich, cello; Dr. Robert Elfline, piano; Dr. Randall Hall, saxophone; Dr. Samantha Keehn, trombone; Dr. Patrick McNally, baritone; Dr. Charles Schmidt, piano; Dr. Amanda Sherrill, piano; Dr. Susan Stone, violin; Dr. Yana Yan, flute
• 11 a.m. Session 3: Political Science and World Relief
In this session, the political science department will partner with World Relief Quad Cities to introduce the work World Relief is doing in the area of refugee resettlement and discuss its contribution to both our local community and world peace and security in general, a topic President Andrea Talentino cares about deeply as a political science professor and scholar.
The panel will feature two recent Augustana grads who currently work for World Relief — Clare Stephenson ’18 and Aly Twilbeck ’22 — in addition to Rubens Gonzales, a senior majoring in political science and currently an intern at World Relief, and Dr. Xiaowen Zhang, professor in the political science department.