Sunmin Cha

Part-Time Assistant Professor of Music

• Email: sunmincha@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff 14D

Dr. Sunmin Cha is a dedicated educator with a wealth of performance and teaching experience. She believes that every student possesses a unique and beautiful voice, and her teaching is rooted in a personalized approach that enhances each student's vocal abilities and confidence.

Dr. Cha earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Lamar University, and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Hanyang University. She has taught applied lessons to both classical and musical theater students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and she is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.

As a soprano, Dr. Cha has performed leading roles in numerous operas, including Violetta in La Traviata, Mimì in La Bohème, and Liù in Turandot. She remains an active performer, showcasing her talents in various opera roles, concerts, recitals, and opera galas in both the United States and Korea.

Dr. Cha emphasizes individualized instruction, helping each student discover their unique vocal style while developing strong technical skills. Her teaching philosophy focuses on vocal technique, emotional expression, and empathy. She integrates core music subjects such as music theory, music history, and aural skills to enhance her students' overall musicianship. By concentrating on exercises related to breathing, resonance, and vocal production, she helps students understand vocal technique and uses body mapping to simplify the physiological aspects of singing.

Dr. Cha is passionate about forming strong emotional connections with her students, creating a warm and supportive environment where they can build confidence and grow. She strives to make the learning process enjoyable, ensuring that students not only improve their vocal skills but also find joy in their musical journey.

Lesley Frenell

Financial Aid Counselor

• Phone: 309-794-7709
• Email: lesleyfrenell@augustana.edu
• Office: Seminary Hall, Room 102

Meet with Lesley

Specializations: Financial aid

Erika Mikita

Career Coach

• Phone: 309-794-7430
• Email: erikalindstrom@augustana.edu

Erika Mikita is the career coach for the accounting, business and management, communications, marketing and sales fields of interest.

Erika also manages the student employment program, helping students connect with on-campus employment.  Erika is a person-centered advocate excited to help Augustana students learn more about who they are and how they can use their strengths to build a foundation for success.

Specializations: CORE

Lendol G. Calder

Professor of History

• Phone: 309-794-7679
• Email: LendolCalder@augustana.edu
• Office: Old Main 325

A native of Texas, Lendol Calder's bachelor of arts degree is from the University of Texas at Austin where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1980.

A scholar of the history of American consumerism, Calder's 1999 book "Financing the American Dream: A Cultural History of Consumer Credit" was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as "deliciously seditious" for the ways it inverted common assumptions about the meaning of credit in American life.

Calder's scholarship also appears in "Thrift and Thriving in America: Capitalism and Moral Order from the Puritans to the Present" (Oxford, 2011) and "The Oxford Handbook of the History of Consumption" (Oxford, 2012).

An accomplished teacher, Calder is also a leader in the growing movement to bring scholarly modes of inquiry to teaching and learning in higher education. In 1999, he was chosen by the Carnegie Foundation to be a Fellow at the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Calder's research, published in the March 2006 issue of the Journal of American History, examines the problem of "coverage" in introductory courses and is part of a larger effort to forge a new "signature pedagogy" for the discipline of history.

His work as a Carnegie Scholar has made him a popular speaker, presenter, and consultant on topics related to historical thinking and the teaching of undergraduates.

His current consulting projects include serving on the test committee for the College Board's Subject Test in US History and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Measuring College Learning Project (MCL). 

Dr Calder enjoys mountaineering and backcountry skiing and is often spotted on the roads preparing for his next marathon or ultramarathon.

Zach Bohrer he/him

Admissions Counselor

• Phone: 309-794-7302
• Email: zachbohrer@augustana.edu
• Office: Seminary 112

Schedule a meeting with Zach

What do you most love to tell prospective students about Augustana?

That if they can dream it, at Augustana they can do it! With so many pathways for personalization during their Augustana experience, the only thing holding them back from their next big success is the ability to dream it up! Paired with an active campus community filled with opportunities for personal and professional growth inside and outside the classroom, Augustana is truly the place to be.

What is your favorite time/tradition of the Augustana school year?

There is no place like Augustana in the Fall! Taking a walk along the gorgeous slough path, sitting outside and taking in the multitude of colors around you, or enjoying a crisp fall day on campus after a week of classes, there is really nothing like it!

What's great about the Quad Cities?

There's a little bit of everything here! The Quad Cities maintain a suburban feel, while providing big city opportunities. From a diverse food scene, to a thriving live music and theater community, and even world renown science, history, and art museums, the Quad Cities always has something for everyone.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I love to travel, explore and be outside! Whether it's finding a new forest preserve or park to adventure in, or walking along the gorgeous Mississippi River!

However, on days when decompression is needed, you'll find me curled up with my cat watching some reality TV (Survivor, RuPaul's Drag Race, and The Amazing Race are a few of my favorites!).

What advice do you have for students who are searching for the right college for them?

Don't forget that this process is all about you! Ask as many questions as you need, tour as many colleges as you’re interested in, sit in classes, meet with students. Engaging with schools in multiple ways helps you narrow down your options, but more importantly makes sure you end up at a place where you want to go, but is also going to allow you to flourish to your fullest potential!

Specializations: Admissions

Nicole Sexton

Advisor and Coordinator of Retention Initiatives

• Email: nicolesexton@augustana.edu

Specializations: Learning Commons

José Wilches

Professional Faculty and Assistant Professor of Physics, Engineering, and Astronomy

• Phone: 309-794-7842
• Email: josewilches@augustana.edu
• Office: Hanson 204A

Dr. José Wilches’ professional experience spans consulting and construction, where he has worked across various sectors, including industrial, buildings and infrastructure. Recently, his focus has shifted toward research in structural engineering and building consulting, with two primary areas of interest: seismic bridge engineering and compost structures. Beyond his academic pursuits, he is the founder and incumbent president of the Building Everyone’s Future Foundation (www.construyendoelfuturotodos.org), which provides training and support for children, youth and women in marginalized Afro-American communities.

Thomas Hammar

Part-Time Assistant Professor of Accounting

• Phone: 309-794-7542; 309-235-4703
• Email: tomhammar@augustana.edu
• Office: Sorensen 261

Tom Hammar is a 1976 graduate of Augustana where he majored in accounting and economics; he received his M.B.A. from St. Ambrose University in 1988. He can also be reached at tom@hammarcpa.com.

Jonas Björk

Visiting Professor of Scandinavian Studies

• Phone: 309-794-8280
• Email: jonasbjork@augustana.edu
• Office: Denkmann 112

Dr. Jonas Björk has taught journalism at Indiana-Purdue in Indianapolis for 35 years, earning five excellence-in-teaching awards. His research has focused on the Swedish immigrant press in the United States and on the presence of U.S. media and popular culture in Sweden. He is the co-author of two books and single author of numerous journal articles and book chapters and has collaborated with colleagues in Sweden, Finland, Canada and Germany on various research projects. In 2012, he was the Fulbright Distinguished Scholar in American Studies at Uppsala University in Sweden. Dr. Björk has been a member of the advisory committee for the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center for more than 20 years.