Augustana University facts for kids
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Former name
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Augustana College and Seminary (1860–1918) Augustana College and Normal School (1918–1926) Augustana College (1926–2015) |
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| Motto | Verbum Dei manet in aeternum |
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Motto in English
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The Word of God endures forever |
| Type | Private university |
| Established | 1860 |
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Religious affiliation
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Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
| Endowment | $200+ million (2022) |
| President | Stephanie Herseth Sandlin |
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Academic staff
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134 |
| Students | 2,390 |
| Undergraduates | 2,003 |
| Postgraduates | 387 |
| Location |
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United States
43°31′36.7″N 96°44′13.3″W / 43.526861°N 96.737028°W |
| Campus | Urban 100 acres (40 ha) |
| Colors | Navy blue and gold |
| Nickname | Vikings |
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Sporting affiliations
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NCAA Division II – NSIC |
| Mascot | Ole the Viking |
| Website | www.augie.edu |
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Augustana University is a private university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It is connected to the Lutheran church. The university started in 1860. It shares its founding year with a similar school in Rock Island, Illinois, called Augustana College. Both schools get their name from the Confessio Augustana, also known as the Augsburg Confession. This document is very important to the Lutheran faith. Before September 2015, the university was known as Augustana College.
Augustana is the biggest private university in South Dakota. It offers more than 100 different study programs. These include majors, minors, and special programs for future careers or advanced degrees.
Contents
History of Augustana University
Augustana University's story began in 1835. That year, people from Scandinavia started a school called Hillsboro Academy in Hillsboro, Illinois. In 1846, this academy became the Literary and Theological Institute. It later moved to Springfield, Illinois, and was called Illinois State University.
Founding and Early Moves
In 1860, church leaders created the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod. Professor Lars Paul Esbjörn and his group moved to Chicago. There, they started their own school, Augustana College and Seminary. This is the year Augustana University considers its official start.
As the United States grew, the school moved to Paxton, Illinois, in 1863. Later, the school split. The Norwegian leaders wanted their own school. They moved to Marshall, Wisconsin, in 1869. The Swedes later moved to Rock Island, Illinois, and started Augustana College (Illinois). The school that moved to Marshall later moved to Beloit, Iowa, in 1881. Then, in 1888, it moved to Canton, South Dakota.
Augustana in Sioux Falls
In 1889, the Lutheran Normal School opened in Sioux Falls. It was in a building now called Old Main. This school trained teachers. Leaders in Sioux Falls wanted Augustana to move there. So, in 1918, the Lutheran Normal School and Augustana College in Canton joined together. They became Augustana College and Normal School.
In 1926, the "and Normal School" part was removed from the name. The Canton site became Augustana Academy. This academy was no longer part of the college and closed in 1971. The 2010–11 school year was Augustana University's 150th anniversary.
Why the Name "Augustana"?
The name "Augustana" comes from the Augsburg Confession. This important document for the Lutheran Church was written in 1530. It was part of the Protestant Reformation. The Latin name for the document is Confessio Augustana. On August 21, 2015, the school announced it would change its name. It went from Augustana College to Augustana University on September 1, 2015.
Academics at Augustana
Augustana University offers many different study options. Students can choose from over 100 majors, minors, and programs. Some popular majors include nursing, biology, business, psychology, and computer science.
Learning Structure
The university's school year has two main parts, called semesters. Each semester lasts 15 weeks. Between them, there is a four-week period in January. This is called an interim period. Students can take special classes or study abroad during this time. There is also an optional eight-week summer term. Augustana has a small class size, with about 12 students for every teacher.
Special Learning Opportunities
Augustana offers many ways to learn outside of regular classes. These include internships, studying abroad, and doing research with professors. The university also has an honors program called Civitas. Between 2007 and 2008, many students studied in other countries. About 44% of students studied abroad before they graduated.
The university's financial support has grown. This has helped them improve their buildings. For example, the Mikkelsen Library was updated. The Froiland Science Complex was rebuilt in 2015. New buildings like Ralph H. Wagoner Hall (2022) and Midco Arena (2023) have also been added. The Morrison Commons is also being improved.
Admissions and Rankings
In 2016, Augustana had 1,825 undergraduate students. Most students (99%) attended full-time. About 59% of students were female. The university accepted 61% of students who applied. U.S. News & World Report said Augustana was a "more selective" school. Many students (62%) were in the top quarter of their high school class. The average GPA was 3.7. The average ACT score for students was 26. About 80% of freshmen returned for their second year.
Most students come from South Dakota (42%) and Minnesota (34%). Others come from Iowa (12%) and Nebraska (4%). In the fall of 2010, Augustana had its largest group of international students ever. Fifty-four new students from 20 countries joined the university. This made about 4.5% of the student body international. While 46% of students are Lutheran, many others are Christian. Catholicism is the second largest group at 21%.
Augustana has received good rankings. In 2015, U.S. News & World Report ranked Augustana third among Midwestern colleges. They also called it a "Best Buy" school. This means it offers good quality for its cost. The Princeton Review also named Augustana one of the "Best in the Midwest" schools in 2015. In 2017, Forbes magazine ranked Augustana 97th in the Midwest and 423rd overall.
Arts and Culture
Augustana has a strong arts program. The Center for Western Studies started in 1970. It is a library and a place for special art and historical items. It also publishes academic works. The center holds an annual Dakota Conference. This event focuses on history, literature, art, and archaeology of the Northern Plains. It is the biggest conference of its kind.
Art and Music
The Center for Western Studies also shows art from the Western, Scandinavian, and Native American cultures. It hosts the Boe Forum on Public Affairs. Famous speakers like Pervez Musharraf and Mikhail Gorbachev have spoken there.
The Augustana Choir and Concert Band travel a lot. They have performed in countries like China, Italy, and Tanzania. In 2011, the band was in Egypt during the Revolution. They were briefly stuck in Cairo because of protests.
Theatre and Visual Arts
The Augustana University Theatre Company puts on four main shows each year. One of these is always a musical. Students also produce two shows. The theatre department has an improv group called Brand Name Improv. They also host a play festival every other year. In 2023, the department worked with Lifescapes of Sioux Falls and the Black Hills Playhouse. They put on a show with actors of all abilities.
In 2006, the Center for Visual Arts opened. It replaced older art buildings. This center has studios for artists and professors. It has classrooms for design, drawing, painting, and sculpture. It also has the Eide-Dalrymple Gallery, which shows many art exhibitions each year.
Civitas Honors Program
Augustana's honors program is called Civitas. It started in 2007. "Civitas" is a Latin word meaning "citizenship." The program is based on the ideas of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian. Bonhoeffer was part of the German resistance against Nazism. His essay "The Structure of Responsible Life" is a main focus of the program. Students study his work in special Civitas classes. About 40 students are chosen for the program from each graduating class. They need to keep a good GPA.
Augustana Athletics
The Augustana Vikings are sports teams that play in NCAA Division II. They are part of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Vikings joined the NSIC after their old conference, the North Central Conference, closed in 2008.
Team Achievements
The men's basketball team won the NCAA Division II national championship in 2016. The women's basketball team reached the NCAA Division II Final Four in 2013. The men's baseball team won the NCAA Division II national championship in 2018. Augustana wrestlers finished second in the NCAA Division II championship in both 2005 and 2010.
The Sanford Pentagon is where the men's and women's basketball teams play their home games. The Elmen Center, which opened in 1989, is home to the volleyball and wrestling teams.
Future Plans for Athletics
On December 13, 2018, President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin announced a plan. Augustana would try to move its sports teams to Division I. This was part of the university's "Vision 2030" plan. In the fall of 2023, Augustana University started a Division I men's hockey team. This was a step towards the goal. However, as of 2024, the Summit League did not accept Augustana's application. So, the plan to move all sports to Division I has mostly been stopped.
Media at Augustana
The university used to have its own radio station, 89.1 FM KAUR. It broadcasted music 24 hours a day. Until 2009, KAUR played many types of music, especially independent or college rock. KAUR started in 1972. Augustana also had an AM radio station that started in 1945. In 2009, Augustana decided to stop student operations at KAUR. Instead, it started broadcasting Minnesota Public Radio News.
Notable Alumni
