Speeches and statements by former Augustana President Steve Bahls
2022
April 24: Reflections on Nearly Two Decades as President at Augustana
2021
May 23: Comments to the Class of 2021: Nearly 250 days of awesome!
May 23: Comments to the Class of 2020 (2.0): Pushing through interruption
April: Statement on racial justice
2020
June: Courageously stand up against injustice
July: Message to international students regarding online-only regulations
2019
February: The inauguration of a president
April: Learning from Twitter to build a toolbox for life
May Honors Convocation: When we make a mistake
July: Demystifying Rankings and Ratings
December: The Spirit of Christmas: Do Not be Afraid
2018
December: Hoover High School was almost all-white when I attended. Today, it's better
May: Honors Convocation "Afraid to be wrong"
January: Statement Concerning Sexual Assault
2017
May: Statement on Freedom of Expression
August: Calling Out Hate
September: Support of DACA
2016
March: Statement on Diversity and Inclusion
May: Honors Convocation: Impatience and Patience
August: Opening first-year convocation: Launching the Next Four Years Together
November: Tuesday Reflection: Election Reflections
2015
February: Sermon: Who is the greatest? Asking the difficult questions
May: Honors Convocation: Leading Engaged Lives
May: Commencement: Augustana Awesome!
November: Tuesday Reflection: Equity or Equality?
2014
Tuesday Reflection: My New Year's resolution: I'll receive no more nasty emails!
Conference presentation: The Changing Role of Chaplaincies
Opening Convocation: Launching the Next Four Years Together
Tuesday Reflection: My secret to reduce stress
2013
Honors Convocation: Use Power to Empower!
Commencement: Justice, Mercy and Humility
Opening Convocation: Employ your liberal arts education well
Dedication Speech: Center for Student Life
2012
Tuesday Reflection: Sept. 11: Using Uncertainty to Reflect on Our Calling
Opening Convocation: Employing Critical Thinking in the Power of Persuasion
Commencement: Your education will sustain you
Honors Convocation: Ensuring perception is not reality
2011
First-Year convocation: Wanted: Leaders Who Think Too Much
Education Executive: Augustana College: A Leading Education
Inside Higher Ed: Teach Financial Literacy
Commencement: A Lifetime Pass from Augustana
Honors Convocation: Avoiding the Lazy Approach to Critical Thinking
2010
Chronicle: Shared faculty governance: an essential institution
First-year convocation: Critical thinking: The Solution to Drinking from a Fire Hose
Opening convocation: Our 150th year
Honors convocation: The habit of understanding
Commencement: 150 years of servant-leaders
Northern Illinois Synod Assembly: Give, and it will be given to you
Sesquicentennial: Augustana as a Messenger of Christian Humility
Augustana Heritage Association: Proactively expressing the college's roots with today's students
2009
Convocation for first-year students: 'Dreams from my Father'
Chapel reflection: Listening for whispers
Honors Convocation: Asking the inconvenient question
Commencement: Nothing is constant but change
Quad City Chamber speech: When the economy is in quicksand, keep on moving
Campus speech: Impact of nation's financial crisis on Augustana College
Reflection: Letter to Angie
Report: The president's annual report to the college and alumni
2008
Honors Convocation: Critical thinking about critical thinking
Homily: Three Attributes of a Strong Community
Oath ceremony speech: Creative lawyering in a changing world
Statement: Impact of nation's financial crisis
Chamber keynote: Maintaining our nerve while Wall Street loses its
Campus speech: Tradition, change and truthiness
North Scott assembly: The vocational calling of heroes
Speech: Liberal arts and professional education: a call for philosopher-servants
Report: The president's annual report to the college and alumni
2007
Honors Convocation: Turning the crystal: four years later
Commencement: Recalculating
Sermon: Transfiguration and transformation
Sermon: Lessons from Jonah
2006
Honors Convocation: Philosopher servants
Commencement: Asking the tough questions
Ethics conference: Exploring the many facets of the health care crisis
2005
Founder's Day: 100 years of Augustana in China
Convocation for first-year students: In praise of reflection
Honors Convocation: Trees of life and knowledge
Commencement: The last inning
Augustana Magazine: The courage of learning
2004
Founder's Day: What would our Swedish Lutheran founders think?
Convocation for first-year students: In praise of imagination
Commencement: Through the eyes of others
Homily: Who is your Lazarus?
Williamsfield commencement: The road not taken
Lecture series: Encouraging ethical conduct for multinational businesses
Augustana Magazine: An eyeful
Augustana Magazine: Food for the soul
President's report: Pulling together
2003
Statement: On the election of the president
Inaugural address: Liberal arts education and courageous servant leadership
Convocation for first-year students: Turning the crystal
Homily: Justice and mercy
Engineers' address: The role of liberal arts in science education
Speech: Vocational reflection
Speech: The law school admissions case of Grutter v. Bollinger
Reflection: Learning from Tim's health problems
Reflection: Our first Augustana Christmas