Mike White

Part-time Assistant Professor, Double Bass

• Email: mikewhite@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff 21

Mike White is an instructor of music at Augustana College, where he teaches double bass studio lessons and string methods. He is currently a doctor of musical arts candidate at the University of Iowa, where he served as the double bass studio teaching assistant.

Mike holds a master of arts degree from the University of Iowa, where he studied with Professor Volkan Orhon, and a bachelor of music degree from Illinois State University,  where he was a student of Dr. William Koehler. While a student at Iowa, Mike performed with the UI Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, UI Opera, and the Center for New Music. Mike has participated in masterclasses from renowned double bassists including Diana Gannett, David Murray, Barry Green, Anthony Stoops, and Paul Sharpe.

In 2013, Mike joined the faculty at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, where he taught double bass studio lessons and assisted with the college’s orchestra and jazz ensemble. He also worked with local middle and high school musicians as a private teacher and clinician. From 2016 to 2019 he was a faculty member at the Upper Midwest String Camp in St. Joseph, Minnesota where he provided masterclasses, technique classes, and chamber music coaching to young string musicians. Mike is currently a teaching artist with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra’s private lesson program.

Mike has been involved in recent chamber music projects including performances of Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet, Erwin Schulhoff’s Concertino for Flute, Viola, and Double Bass, John Adams’ Chamber Symphony, Stravinsky’s L’histoire du Soldat, and all six of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. In 2017, he performed James Stephenson’s “Devil’s Tale” with the Rountree Ensemble, the faculty ensemble of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Mike performed a recital with the University of Iowa Double Bass Ensemble at the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention in Ithaca, New York. In 2018, he joined the University of Northern Iowa Faculty Septet for a performance of Michael Daugherty’s “Dead Elvis.” 

Mike has been a member of the WCF Symphony since 2011 and also appears regularly as a guest musician with Orchestra Iowa, the Peoria Symphony, Dubuque Symphony, and the Illinois Symphony, among others. In 2016, he performed with the Missouri Symphony during their Hot Summer Nights music festival.

Specializations: Double bass, String methods

Mike Pettis

Director of Admissions for Student-Athlete Recruitment

• Phone: 309-794-7444
• Email: mikepettis@augustana.edu
• Office: Carver Center

Mike Pettis serves as the primary liaison between the Office of Admissions and the Department of Athletics, providing day-to-day support to varsity coaches for student-athlete recruitment. He spearheads strategic initiatives to balance enrollment volume with athletic excellence across Augustana’s varsity programs. Also serving on the senior enrollment management team within the Office of Admissions, Mike assists in leading long-term strategic planning and overseeing the admissions and athletics CRM systems to enhance processes and refine enrollment strategies.

Mike is a proud Augustana alumnus and Quad Cities native. As a member of the track & field program, he was a four-year varsity letter winner and earned all-conference honors. Following three years as an assistant track & field coach at the high school level, Mike served as an assistant track & field coach at Augustana for eleven seasons. He and his wife Molly live in Davenport, and are proud parents to daughters Mae and Elle. Mike is also an avid golfer, runner, and a member of the St. Paul Lutheran Church Chorale.

Specializations: Enrollment management, Admissions, Athletics, Slate, ARI

Carolyn Yaschur

Associate Professor of Communication Studies

• Phone: 309-794-7380
• Email: CarolynYaschur@augustana.edu
• Office: Old Main 208

Carolyn Yaschur teaches classes in multimedia journalism and mass communication and communication studies.

She is an award-winning photojournalist who has worked at the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton, Wash., and The State in Columbia, S.C.

She has freelanced for the Asbury Park Press in Neptune, N.J., and the Lousiville Courier-Journal in Louisville, K.Y.

As a photojournalist she covered events such as the 2004 Olympics in Athens, the Iditarod, the Kentucky Derby, President Clinton, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Seattle Mariners.

Stemming from her professional photojournalism experience, her award-winning research revolves around the effects of visual journalism and multimedia journalism, as well as the profession of photojournalism. 

Specializations: Multimedia journalism, Visual journalism, Communication theory, Quantitative research methods

Specializations: ITS