Andrea Talentino

President of the College, Professor of Political Science

• Phone: 309-794-7606
• Email: andreatalentino@augustana.edu
• Office: Bahls CLC 112

Andrea Talentino is the ninth president of Augustana College.

In addition to Bold & Boundless, Augustana's strategic plan, President Talentino has set into motion a proposed campus master plan that seeks to rebalance the college’s strategic priorities and assess housing stock and classroom spaces in order to meet current and projected needs of the college.

Prior to joining Augustana, Talentino was the provost of Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. She also served as the dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Norwich University in Vermont. She was an associate dean at Drew University in New Jersey, held a faculty position at Tulane University, and a postdoctoral position at Princeton University.

Early in her 22-year career in higher education, she was honored twice for excellence in undergraduate teaching at Tulane University. Since then, even as she rose within the administrative ranks at the institutions she served, she has continued to teach.

"Augustana's mission and vision reflect what I most care about. To advance our mission, I've focused on creating an inclusive, holistic, challenging, integrated student experience that offers a real transformational opportunity." — President Andrea Talentino

Recent initiatives:

• Leading a college recognized for economic diversity by The New York Times and earning a fifth INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine's Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award. 
• Relationship-building with Augustana’s alumni network across the country, including gatherings in Illinois, California and Florida.
• Speaking at Uppsala University in Sweden in October 2023 as part of Uppsala’s Democracy in Higher Education Week — a trip shared with Provost Dr. Dianna Shandy —affirmed Augustana’s unique partnership with the institution founded in 1477. 
• Chairing the NCAA DIII Athletic Training Working Group, with a charge of identifying the factors that impact DIII intercollegiate athletics departments’ ability to hire and retain athletics training staff, and establishing recommendations to address identified factors.
• Serving on the EAB President's Advisory Council to address enrollment trends and program development and provide early feedback to shape EAB’s research focus. EAB, an educational consulting firm, serves 2,500+ organizations, schools and colleges.
• Raising $19.1 million of the $40 million Gerber Grand Challenge in Philanthropy, fueling the college's ability to award the first Augustana Possible grants to high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need. Currently nearly 340 students have been impacted by Augustana Possible. 
• Rebounding to pre-pandemic enrollment numbers and welcoming a record-breaking international cohort.
• Launching the renovation of Erickson Residence Center, thanks in part to a capital grant from the State of Illinois.
• Investing $1 million and partnering with the city of Rock Island to create six National Collegiate Athletic Association-regulation tennis courts at Lincoln Park, adjacent to campus. These courts bring premier facilities to our men’s and women’s tennis teams and will be enjoyed by the Rock Island community, especially since three courts are also lined for pickleball.
• Prioritizing attracting and retaining top talent by increasing the total compensation pool by 2.5% and increasing the college’s retirement contribution match by 1%.
• In 2023, launching the Brenda Barnes Leadership Academy, in which first-year women from Illinois take part in community-building events and mentorship experiences to help them develop into future leaders.
• Andrea Talentino named Augustana's next president
• Augustana marks President Andrea Talentino's second year of service

More than a leader

Born in Binghamton, N.Y., Andrea Talentino grew up in nearby Cortland, N.Y. She is married to Thomas Tarnow, a public interest attorney, and they have two children, Lucien and Julia. 

President Talentino's two academic research specializations are military intervention and civil conflict, and the Olympics in relation to international politics. She has published extensively, including two books: "Military Intervention After the Cold War: The Evolution of Theory and Practice" and "Sporting Boundaries, Sporting Events and Commodification."

President Talentino played tennis in college, and later worked as a coach. This and her experience as a camp counselor have impacted her leadership style and her approach to personnel development.

Specializations: President's Office