Report from the president, fiscal year 2018-19

• Related reading: "By the numbers" and the Honor Roll of Donors

I’m proud to report we set a record last year in terms of fundraising and philanthropy, moving us closer to the $125 million goal of the AUGUSTANA NOW campaign.

The generosity from our alumni and friends allows us to continue to provide incredible experiences for our students and build on Augustana’s reputation as one of the premier liberal arts colleges in the Midwest.

By the end of our campaign tour, Jane and I will have had the pleasure of visiting with alumni in nearly 30 cities. We are inspired by our graduates’ appreciation for Augustana and how it shaped their lives.

On behalf of the board of trustees and the campus community, we thank you for helping us provide a welcoming place with dedicated faculty and unlimited opportunities to prepare our students to engage the world.

This report shares other highlights from fiscal year 2018-19:

New major and Knowlton Center plans

In February 2019, we announced exciting additions that will change the landscape of the campus. Adding to the college’s renowned and rigorous programs in the sciences, public health and pre-health fields, we introduced a program in kinesiology along with one of the most comprehensive approaches to academic health and wellness programs among small colleges. Dr. Shaun Edmonds has joined the college as our first tenure-track kinesiology professor.

To support this program and related fields, Augustana will build the Austin E. Knowlton Center for Innovation in Health, Wellness and Human Performance south of the Carver Center. The building will feature classrooms, team spaces, faculty offices, a joint resource area, exercise laboratories and an aquatic center. The program and capital investment will be partially funded by the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation through an $8 million challenge grant. We are working with other donors and foundations on additional funding.

Campus improvements

Several construction and renovation projects took place across campus, including updating the John Deere Planetarium and painting the venerable Bell Tower. In the Carver Center, everything about the Fairchild Family Strength Center is now state-of-the-art. The Ruth and Lefty Anderson Pavilion, on the south side of the Brunner Theatre Center, provides a new space for outdoor performances as well as classes.

Construction began on the $3.5 million expansion/renovation of the Betsey Brodahl Building to make way for the college’s new master’s program in speech-language pathology. And work continued on the four-floor $8.5-million addition to the Hanson Hall of Science so it would be ready for the first day of classes this fall!

Inaugural endowed chair in data analytics

Augustana received a $1.5 million grant from the John Deere Foundation to establish the Robert A. Hanson Endowed Chair in Data Analytics. Dr. Martin Coe has joined the college as the inaugural endowed chair. Data analytics is a perfect match for Augustana because it entails critical thinking — interrogating databases and asking about the ethical use of data.

International students

One of the goals of the Augustana 2020 strategic plan was to have international students represent 10% of the student population by 2020. With 102 international students (representing 22 countries or entities by citizenship) in the Class of 2023, we already have surpassed our goal. Augustana’s Office of International Student and Scholar Services, led by director Song Sony Yang, supports and facilitates the transition of international students to Augustana and ensures they are provided with the social and cultural support they need to succeed.

FY 2018-19 Endowed Funds 

NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS

Bruce K. Anderson ’61 and Linda Frisk ’62 Anderson Scholarship
Phil and Nancy Bowden Endowed Prize for Geology
Stanley H. Coin Memorial Scholarship
Dr. William B. Conway Scholarship in Economics
Brent and Linda Gwaltney Scholarship
Alan G. Nabb and Rita M. Hill Nabb Scholarship
Shelby Olson ’79 Endowed Scholarship
Phi Rho Endowed Scholarship
Russell Construction Endowed Scholarship 
Chris and Laura Seyfarth Endowed Scholarship
Dean M. Wilkinson Endowed Scholarship

ENDOWED CHAIRS

Endowed Chair in Health and Wellness

PROGRAM FUNDS

Brent Gustafson Student–Faculty Collaborative Research Fund for Geography
Dr. Norm Moline Fund for Asian Study