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This article is about the college in South Dakota. For other institutions with the same name or other uses of Augustana, see Augustana.
Augustana College is a private, liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The 100-acre (40 ha) campus makes the school the largest private university in South Dakota.[4] Students, alumni, friends, employees, and those who know the college casually refer to it as “Augie.” Originally named "The Lutheran Normal School" and designated for the purpose of educating teachers, the college in 1918 received its current name after merging with Augustana College in Canton. The consolidation occurred as a result of synod officials finding it fiscally imprudent to have the two institutions so close together, the schools only some 20 miles (32 km) apart. The college nevertheless identifies its founding as 1860, the same as its sister-school (which shares the same name) in Rock Island, Illinois.[1] Augustana derives its name from the Confessio Augustana, the Latin name for the Augsburg Confession of 1530. Augustana consistently receives high rankings among other Midwestern schools. Publications such as The Princeton Review named Augustana a "Best Midwestern College" and U.S. News & World Report listed Augustana as a "Best Buy" in 2009. U.S. News & World Report has labeled the school a top tier baccalaureate college in the Midwest for 13 consecutive years, with Augustana placing third as of 2009.[2][5]
[edit] HistoryThe institution traces its origin to 1835 when Scandinavian immigrants established the Hillsboro Academy in Hillsboro, Illinois, with the name changing to “The Literary and Theological Institute of the Lutheran Church of the Far West" in 1846. The school later moved to Springfield, Illinois under the name Illinois State University. In 1860 Professor Lars Paul Esbjörn and a group of followers moved to Chicago over differences in matters of doctrine. There they established The Augustana College and Seminary, marking the date that the college identifies as the year of its founding. As the United States expanded westward during and after the American Civil War, pioneers moved the school to Paxton, Illinois in 1863, and later in succession to Marshall, Wisconsin in 1869; Beloit, Iowa in 1881; and then to Canton, South Dakota in 1888. The Lutheran Normal School opened in 1889 with the purpose of educating teachers. But synod officials felt it unwise fiscally having two institutions so close together, the college in Canton only roughly 20 miles (32 km) away. Thus in 1918 the Lutheran Normal School and Augustana College in Canton merged under the name Augustana College, with the school in Canton becoming the Augustana Academy. Augustana draws its name from the origin of the Lutheran Church in the Augsburg Confession, written in 1530 during the period of the Protestant Reformation. "Augustana" stems from the document's Latin name, Confessio Augustana. [edit] AcademicsAugustana College, as an undergraduate liberal arts school, grants four-year Bachelor of Arts degrees to its students. The school offers 51 majors, 34 minors, and 12 pre-professional programs[6] within a 4-1-4 academic calendar. During the 2007-2008 school year, the most popular majors were nursing, biology, business administration, elementary education, secondary education, psychology, government, chemistry and history.[3] The college's curriculum is based on a calendar divided into two 15 week semesters, separated by an interim period of four weeks during January, as well as an optional summer term of eight weeks. Classes may be taken during the month of January. The school offers a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio, notable members including L. Adrien Hannus and Robert E. Wright. Graduation requires 130 total credit hours, 59 of which devoted to general education courses, and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0. "The Augustana Plan," the name of the 59 credit core curriculum, is "designed to develop articulate communicators, competent writers, creative thinkers, skilled problem solvers, and ethically minded, responsible citizens of the world."[5] Extensive internship, study-abroad, undergraduate research and Civitas, the college’s honors program, supplement the curriculum. Between 2007 and 2008, 285 students participated in an international educational experience, and 44% of students study abroad before graduation.[3] Augustana's stated academic goals are to "promote sensitivity to and appreciation of values essential for students to become effective citizens in local, national and international communities."[7] US News & World Report values Augustana's financial endowment at $53.3 million.[2] Donations have allowed the school to expand its academic facilities, such as the recent $7 million renovation of the Mikkelsen Library[8] and the $45 million reconstruction of the Gilbert Science Complex.[9] [edit] Admissions and rankingsAugustana's student body consists of 1,733 undergraduates, 1,637 of whom full-time students and 96 part-time.[3] For the class of 2011, out of an applicant pool of 1,353, Augustana accepted 83%; of the 1,105 that enrolled, 63% were female.[10] US News & World Report classifies Augustana as a "more selective" school,[2] with 60% of the students enrolled having graduated from high school in the top quartile of their class, the average GPA being 3.6.[3] 3% of first-year students submitted SAT scores, with the middle 50% range for the mathematical and critical reading components being 530-630 and 490-640, respectively. ACT test score submissions had a 22-27 middle 50% range, with an average ACT composite score of 25.[11] The school's retention rate of freshmen returning as sophomores is 78%.[12] Those enrolled are primarily from South Dakota (42%) and Minnesota (34%), followed by Iowa (12%) and Nebraska (4%), with 2% non-residents of the United States.[13][14] Although only 46% of students claim a preference for the school's Lutheran religious affiliation, the school is nevertheless composed primarily of students following another Christian denomination, Catholicism being the second largest at 21%; 22% of students, meanwhile, are categorized under "other."[3] In the 2009 U.S. News & World Report ranking of Midwestern colleges, Augustana placed third, and has, for the last consecutive 13 years, been labeled a top tier baccalaureate college.[2] The publication additionally named it a "Best Buy" school, the award based on academic quality in relation to attendance costs. The Princeton Review called Augustana a "Best Midwestern College." Peterson’s 440 Colleges for Top Students featured Augustana, and Harvard Schmarvard: Getting Beyond the Ivy League to the College That is Best for You listed the school as one of its “top 100 outstanding (but under-appreciated) colleges." The Templeton Guide selected Augustana as one of 100 select colleges and universities nationwide as part of its "Templeton Honor Roll."[5] [edit] Arts The Augustana Choir and Concert Band tour widely nationally and internationally, and the college is one of the few schools in America to house its own student-run improvisational theater groups; BNi (or Brand Name Improv), specializing in short-form improvisation. Improv remains a vital part of the Augustana campus with other improvisation groups such as GoldMilk Favorites, who specialize in long-form improvised musicals. Augustana's concert band toured the People's Republic of China three times (1999, 2003, and 2007), and the Augustana Choir recently toured in the African nation of Tanzania. The choir toured Italy in the summer of 2008 and had a special performance at St. Peter's Basilica during a Saturday evening Mass, a privilege granted to only a few choirs. The Augustana College Theatre Company presents four main-stage shows a year, as well as several student produced shows. The department furthermore serves as home to the Claire Donaldson 8-in-48 Short Play Festival which occurs every other year. On alternation years the college hosts the Cool Hip Awesome Improv Festival (or CHAI Fest) which has featured well known improv groups such as The Upright Citizens Brigade and Improv88. The 2008-2009 season featured Children of Eden, A Flea in Her Ear, and the world premier performance of Eating into the Fabric (written by faculty member Ivan Fuller). Full-time staff include Dr. Julia Bennett, Dan Workman, & RJ Fitzsimmons. Chair of Performing & Visual Arts is Dr. Ivan Fuller. In 2006, the new Center for Visual Arts replaced the old art department buildings, previously used as WWII barracks. It holds artist/professor studios, studio classrooms for design, drawing, printmaking, painting, sculpture, ceramics, and an art education lab, as well as the new Eide-Dalrymple gallery, which hosts several art exhibitions throughout the year. Each interim, drawing professor Scott Parsons organizes a study abroad opportunity that allows students to study the art and archeology of ancient Peru. Students have opportunities to interact with Peruvian culture as well as hike the Incan trail. Other noted artists and professors from the art department include Ogden Dalrymple, Palmer Eide, Robert Aldern, and Carl Grupp. [edit] SciencesAlong with the opportunity of BRIN grants, Augustana College has received a pledge of $2.6 million dollars over five years from the National Institute of Health.[15] An average of 90% of graduating seniors seeking admission into medical school have been accepted over the last three years, double the national acceptance rate, and the school claims a consistent 100% placement record of nursing graduates.[9] [edit] AthleticsThe Augustana Vikings currently participate in NCAA Division II athletics in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Vikings joined the NSIC from the North Central Conference, which folded in 2008. In 2004-2005, Augustana wrestlers finished second in the NCAA Division II championship. [edit] FootballOn September 26, 2007, it was officially announced that Bob and Kari Hall were making a $7.1 million donation for an on-campus football stadium. The stadium is to bear the name Kirkeby-Over Stadium in honor of Kari Hall’s parents. Construction began on November 12, 2007[16] with the official groundbreaking taking place on November 16, 2007. Augustana College recently completed the Hall Football Complex; complete with its own locker rooms, weight room, and football meeting rooms. This makes Augustana College one of the premier Division II Colleges in the area in terms of facilities. The head football coach is Brad Salem. [edit] MediaThe college operates a radio station, 89.1 FM KAUR, which broadcasts 24 hours per day and specializes in alternative/college music but also offers a variety ranging from jazz and folk to rap and regional South Dakota musicians. [edit] Notable alumni
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Coordinates: 43°31′36.7″N 96°44′13.3″W / 43.526861°N 96.737028°W
Categories: Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | Universities and colleges affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | Universities and colleges in South Dakota | Augustana College (South Dakota) | Educational institutions established in 1860 | Council of Independent Colleges | North Central Association of Colleges and Schools | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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