Pics of the Day
The Pic of the Day is featured on student and faculty pages, as submitted by members of the Augustana community. Here are some recent images. (Click on a photo to see a caption.)
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Landowner Tim Pressley '82 gave around 20 Augustana students and faculty a tour of his land in the Milan Bottoms marshes near the site where a 10-acre business development will be constructed. The Upper Mississippi Center is teaming up with the City of Rock Island to do biological and social assessments in order to research the impacts of the development on this landscape and the Quad Cities community, and to help the city formulate a plan to establish a 600 acre preserve. Pictured are Emerson Lehman and John Stofferahn helping Fiona Brady cross an abandoned beaver dam.
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) has been emailed to first-year and senior students. If you're in this group, we ask that you please complete the survey. Why? We want to know how it's going for first-year students. And seniors, we want to know about the quality of your Augustana experience. We use the results to assess the quality of the education we provide you, focusing on your engagement in college and what you gain from your experience. First-year and senior students, please check your email to access the survey.
Carter Reynolds, AJ Banks, Liz Hayes and Chris Cole recently attended the National Character and Leadership Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo. NCLS brings together distinguished scholars, military leaders, corporate executives, and world-class athletes to motivate and equip participants to live honorably, lift others, and elevate performance. This year's symposium highlighted the essential role of courage in leadership, whether it be physical, moral, social or spiritual, emphasizing that true character is revealed and strengthened when individuals confront uncertainty, fear or adversity with commitment and resolve.
Last month, the CFA Society Iowa hosted the CFA Research Challenge at the Tippie College of Business Administration at University of Iowa. One of the Augustana teams won second place!
After singing for three days on and off campus for Valentine's Day, the beautiful singing boys of Phi Mu Alpha music fraternity were able to raise $1,000 for Common Chord, a local music nonprofit that supports music education and performances in the community. Thank you to all the professors who allowed us to sing in classes, and to everybody who enjoyed our singing! Pictured: Tyson Danner, executive director of Common Chord; Liam Leja '28; James Mihevc '28; and Ian Empen '26.
Last week Augustana students attended the Quad Cities Engineering and Science Council (QCESC) 64th STEM Celebration to network with STEM professionals across the Quad Cities area. The program included presenting awards to engineering, scientists, educators and high school scholars, plus a talk from the executive vice president and CEO of FIRST, the world's leading youth-serving nonprofit advancing STEM. Pictured: Maranda Bargren '27, Evelyn Coronado Mendoza '27, Raunak Rijal '26, Pritisha Malla '26
Ambassadors joined our Chicagoland Admissions team at the Chicagoland Admitted Student Reception, helping run the event, serving on a student panel and answering thoughtful questions from prospective students and families. We love seeing our students step up, share their experiences and truly shine! Pictured: Rob Williams, Kajsa Murphy, Lindsay DeBuhr, Jenny Osei Kofi, Maddie Garrigan, Jill McNeil and Adam Sandoval.
Students from Dr. Margaret Morse's class on African Art visited the Center for Visual Culture last week. Students were doing a close looking exercise on the African artwork that will be the focus of their research project this semester.
Marty Coe, John Delaney and Augustana's Admissions team helped host the Junior Achievement Titan Competition last week. The event included 80 regional high school students and 10 educators, making up 22 teams.
Last week, Augustana students competed in the CFA Research Challenge hosted by the CFA Society Iowa at the Tippie College of Business Administration at University of Iowa. One Augie team won second place! Pictured: Samaria Anderson, Lina Zhou, Isaac Pacheco Aaron Rogers,Thao Linh Phan, Ronish Sangachhe, Chris Alkas, Drew Bryant, Udbav Aryal and Kawl Mang.
American Library Association (ALA) President Sam Helmick visited Tredway Library on Feb. 19 to see Kat-Jean Glusick's 'In-Queer-Ing Augustana' Senior Inquiry exhibit after their work together in fall 2025. Kat's exhibit is centered around the history of the Queer community at Augustana and Queer joy.
Lab chemist Jodi Larson ’08 and supervisor Travis Matlick gave Udden Geology Club a lecture and tour of the Rock Island Water Treatment Plant and explanations of the incredible innerworkings, engineering, infrastructure, chemistry, biology and geology that provide Augustana and Rock Island with 5 million gallons of clean, safe drinking water per day!
Students joined Chaplain Melinda Pupillo on a spiritual Lenten Retreat at Wartburg Theological Seminary over the weekend, where they discussed, journaled and painted about perfectionism and its healthier alternatives. The group is pictured here with Trey Graff '23 (center), a youth minister at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Dubuque, Iowa, who preached a powerful sermon during the worship they attended on Sunday morning.
This week, TRIO hosted fika, a prized traditions at Augustana College. Every week, faculty, staff and administration gather together, drink coffee and connect. This is community! Pictured: Erika Mikita, Beth Ford, Christiana Headley and Bonnie Jessee.
Students in German 102 celebrated Karneval (Mardi Gras) German style, with costumes, donuts and a parade through the building.
Sarai Bustamante, a mechanical engineering student, recently visited the the Toy Fair in the Javits Center in Manhattan, New York. The fair included more than 720 exhibiting companies and more than 170 new, first-time and returning companies, showcasing thousands of products from 80 countries. "In the last two days I learned that entering the toy industry requires strong networking and persistence," said Bustamante. "From an engineering perspective, I observed that companies value hands-on problem solvers who can prototype, iterate and design for manufacturability. Many products emphasized mechanical simplicity and user interaction that help I learning and experimentation, which aligns with current STEM trends. I also noticed the growing 'kidult' market, showing that engineering design must balance durability, aesthetics and long-term engagement. So overall, the toy industry is looking for engineers who can build, test, and solve real problems."
Sarai Bustamante, a mechanical engineering student, recently visited the the Toy Fair in the Javits Center in Manhattan, New York. The fair included more than 720 exhibiting companies and more than 170 new, first-time and returning companies, showcasing thousands of products from 80 countries. "In the last two days I learned that entering the toy industry requires strong networking and persistence," said Bustamante. "From an engineering perspective, I observed that companies value hands-on problem solvers who can prototype, iterate and design for manufacturability. Many products emphasized mechanical simplicity and user interaction that help I learning and experimentation, which aligns with current STEM trends. I also noticed the growing 'kidult' market, showing that engineering design must balance durability, aesthetics and long-term engagement. So overall, the toy industry is looking for engineers who can build, test, and solve real problems."
President Andrea Talentino poses with the oldest and youngest alumni who attended a recent luncheon in Phoenix, Ariz. Pictured: Ed Davis '50, President Talentino and Vanessa Kirk '15.
The Career Development & Vocation team partnered with the Office of Residential Life and the Office of Student Culture & Connection to kick off the spring semester with a meaningful professional development workshop for student employees focused on NACE Career Readiness Competencies. Students connected skills gained in their campus roles to resume ready language. Departments interested in hosting a similar workshop may contact careerdevelopment@augustana.edu.
The "Swedish Contemporary Society" J-term course spent the month of January learning intermediate Swedish language and about cultural, political and social life in Sweden today. The many excursions included visiting Augustana's exchange partner Uppsala University and touring its historic library, Carolina Rediviva, which the group poses in front of here.
In a ceremony earlier this month, Augustana Professor of History Dr. Lendol Calder received the Eugene Asher Distinguished Teaching Award from Dr. Ben Vinson, president of the American Historical Association (AHA). The award recognizes outstanding teaching and advocacy for history teaching at colleges and universities. Inspirational history teachers with excellent techniques and a mastery of subject matter are selected for this honor, according to the AHA. Congrats, Dr. Calder!
Geography and environmental studies students spent their J-term on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana learning about coastal land loss and environmental justice. As part of their research, students conducted a salinity study in the bayous as part of a collaboration with the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribal community.
Aliza Salinas-Cervantes ’26 points out an Augustana College banner while studying abroad during J-term with SSA Education Abroad in Sevilla, Spain, spotting a familiar Viking connection in a popular student hangout.
President Talentino thought she was meeting with Swedish scholar Olof Björnsson, but instead she was surprised with a serenade by the brothers of Phi Mu Alpha for Vocal Valentines! Orders for Vocal Valentines this year are now open, and half of all proceeds will be donated to Common Chord, a local music education nonprofit. Click here to order a Vocal Valentine.
Dr. Ashley Burge and her Contemporary African American literature class immersed themselves in Black history and art at the DuSable Black History and Education Museum in Chicago for their culminating project in the class. They were treated to DuSable's new exhibit, "Paris In Black," where they explored the impactful work of Black expatriate icons Langston Hughes and Josephine Baker, amongst others.
Meet Joshua Traugott, a junior exploring Japan, from Kyoto and Nagano to the bright lights of Tokyo. His favorite moment so far? Petting the famous deer in Nara Park — a dream come true after always wanting to pet the deer on campus at Augie! "Watching hundreds of them surround people for crackers was unforgettable," says Traugott.
The students of the J-Term Geology of Bonaire courses have experienced amazing geology and marine ecology in just the first week on the Caribbean island! They've hiked the highest peak in all of the Netherlands, clambered over ancient volcanic columnar jointed mountain outcrops, gained their sea legs and performed backward rolls off the boat for dives to see sea turtles, flounder, ray, barracuda and arrays of brilliantly colored fish and coral, learned about coral reef restoration and propagation during presentations and then leapt into the ocean and snorkeled out to those coral nurseries for a hands-on view, and witnessed exotic nocturnal creatures in magical nighttime tidal pool walks!
At Thursday's Job Shadow Day, students from the COMM-111 Confident Communication J-Term course had the chance to observe, overcome apprehension and voice their ideas in front of community leaders. Thank you to Longfellow Elementary, Vibrant, Augustana, Rock Island High School, Lincoln Electric, Quad City Storm, UnityPoint Health-Trinity, Lindquist Ford, Bettendorf Community School District and KWQC Sports for providing the supportive environment needed to turn classroom skills into career confidence!
Students on the J-Term program to Brazil arrived in Salvador last week and had a city tour that included a stop to see the Baia de Todos Santos.
SCUBA-certified students of the J-Term in Bonaire courses (GEOL-123 and GEOL-321) gained their sea legs during their first Caribbean dive. One student exclaimed it was the coolest thing he had ever done! In the first days of the course, they have seen sea turtles, flounder, ray, barracuda and arrays of brilliantly colored fish and coral.