The History of Augustana University

Illinois State University Long before “the green” was green; ahead of the “the quad’s” signature north-campus crisscross; and decades before Ole, Viking Days, Vespers and even the Huddle’s early-morning coffee, Augustana University got its start in Hillsboro, Illinois — 650 miles east of Sioux Falls — as a place called Hillsboro Academy in 1835.

At the urging of Lutheran Scandinavian leaders, Hillsboro Academy was renamed The Literary and Theological Institute of The Lutheran Church of the Far West in 1846. A short time later, the school moved north to Springfield, Illinois, where it was renamed again — this time to Illinois State University. According to school records, a number of the nation’s early influencers attended ISU, including former Secretary of State John Hay and Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of Abraham Lincoln. (photo on right)

The College on Wheels

Nicknamed by historians as “the college on wheels,” Augustana wasn’t done moving yet.

By 1860, the still-young U.S. was on the brink of political and social catastrophe. Immigration was at an all-time high. In the South, plantation-owned slaves were harvesting 2 billion pounds of cotton each year. At the same time, opposition and public outrage over slavery seethed through towns and villages in the North. In November of that same year, Abraham Lincoln was elected president and a month later, South Carolina officially seceded from the union. The first shots of the Civil War soon followed.

In the Midwest, the railroad, industry and farming opportunities drew Norwegian and Swedish immigrants by the thousands — all of whom were looking for a place to settle; somewhere to call home.

For Augustana’s founders, it was time to make a move.

The Augustana Seminary

On June 5, 1860, Norwegian and Swedish church leaders met in Jefferson Prairie, Illinois, to form the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod. The controversial move paved the way for Professor Lars Paul Esbjorn and a group of followers to establish a completely new institution — the Augustana Seminary. Christened in the basement of the Norwegian Lutheran Church on Franklin Street in Chicago, the Seminary’s name was drawn from the Augsburg Confession in 1530, during the time of the Reformation. The document’s Latin designation was the “Confessio Augustana.”

Augustana Seminary held its first class on Sept. 1, 1860 — a founding date shared with Augustana’s sister-college, Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Today, the two schools are among the oldest of the 40 colleges and universities affiliated with the Lutheran Church.

The Division

By 1863, Rev. Tuve Hasselquist, president of the Augustana Synod, lobbied for another move. Hasselquist believed that moving the Seminary to a rural area populated primarily by Scandinavians would be in the best interest of the growing school. Plus, the Illinois Central Railroad promised land if the school relocated. After a vote, the Seminary (photo on right) moved from Chicago 100 miles southwest, to Paxton, Illinois, and Hasselquist became the school’s second president.

Marshall, WI

Craving their own identity, the Seminary’s Norwegian leaders made the decision to separate from the Swedes. They purchased a building in Marshall, Wisconsin, and in 1869 formed the Augsburg Seminary and Marshall Academy (photo on left). Wisconsin farmer and Norwegian immigrant Endre Endresen Eidsvaag gave a bell to the school. A year later, in 1870, the Norwegian Augustana Synod was founded. In 1875, Augustana Seminary moved from Paxton to Rock Island, where it has remained since.

Moving West

By the late 1870s, the nation’s western frontier was bulging. In 1881, leaders of the Norwegian Augustana Synod made the decision to “follow the people” and settled in Beloit, Iowa. While in Beloit, the school reclaimed the name, Augustana Seminary and Academy. In 1884 with the institution needing more room, a group of Canton, South Dakota, citizens across the Big Sioux River pooled their money and bought the Naylor Hotel and offered the building to the Augustana Synod — with the condition that the school move from Beloit to Canton. The Seminary remained in Beloit and the name of the school was changed to Augustana College. By 1903, the College moved into a permanent home, its first in 43 years, on the east side of Canton along with the Eidsvaag Bell.

Home, Summit Avenue

Twenty-five miles to the north in Sioux Falls, the Lutheran Normal School opened its doors in 1889. Housed in what is now known as Old Main, the Lutheran Normal School’s mission was to prepare teachers.

By 1918, city and business leaders lobbied hard for Augustana to relocate to Sioux Falls. Church leaders made the decision to merge Augustana College in Canton with the Lutheran Normal School in Sioux Falls under the name Augustana College and Normal School (ACNS). The Eidsvaag Bell was installed in the school's belltower. In 1926, "and Normal School" was dropped from the name and the site in Canton eventually became Augustana Academy. Despite the similarities in name, it was no longer affiliated with the college and ultimately closed in 1971. (In front of Ladies Hall. Inset: Ladies Hall and Normal School above.)

Lutheran Normal School, Sioux Falls

The 2010-11 academic year marked Augustana College’s sesquicentennial. Campus officials and the school’s nearly 1,800 students planned a number of commemorative events to celebrate the College’s 150th year. On June 5, 2010, Augustana President Rob Oliver and Augustana-Rock Island President Steve Bahls commemorated the 150th anniversary of the formation of the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod during a ceremony at Jefferson Prairie Lutheran Church in Poplar Grove, Illinois. Oliver and Bahls gathered at a table used by the original founders during the creation of the Augustana Synod’s first constitution to sign a Sesquicentennial Compact — a document that affirmed each school’s academic mission and desire to remain committed to the mission of Lutheran higher education.

On Sept. 1, 2015 — 155 years to the date of the institution's founding, the name was changed to Augustana University to better reflect the broadening of Augustana's academic mission.

The Next Chapter

Augustana’s storied past is just as exciting as its future. Over the next decade, the university will continue to implement its strategic plan — Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030 — passed by the university's Board of Trustees in December 2019.

Notable Events

All "firsts" identified are associated with Augustana College and not the Lutheran Normal School (LNS). For instance, the first band at LNS was in 1896. At Augustana, the inaugural year of the band was 1908.

1860-1917

Rev. Lars Esbjorn was the first president in 1860 when Augustana Seminary opened in the basement of the Norwegian Lutheran in Chicago, Illinois. Twenty-one young men were enrolled. Esbjorn and Pr. Abraham Jacobson served as the instructors.
In 1861, five graduates of the seminary were ordained on June 9, thus the first "commencement."
The outbreak of the Civil War made the recruitment of students and raising money very difficult. In 1862, the seminary closed early so that Esbjorn could return to Sweden to raise money for the school.
The school moved to Paxton, Illinois, and Tuve N. Hasselquist became president in 1863. Five students — three Norwegians and two Swedes — were enrolled as Esbjorn returned to Sweden.
In 1865, the school received its official charter as Augustana College and Theological Seminary.
In 1869, the Norwegians wanted their own school and parted ways with the Swedes and moved to Marshall, Wisconsin. The name of the new school was Augsburg Seminary and Marshall Academy to distinguish it from the Augustana College and Theological Seminary in Paxton. Rev. August Weenaas was the third president. The school was the first co-educational institution maintained by Scandinavian Lutherans in America and enrolled 16 students. Wisconsin farmer Endre Endresen Eidsvaag gave a bell to the school, which was eventually called "The Eidsvaag Bell."
Weenaas left with seminary students and taught them in different locations in Marshall. John J. Anderson was named the fourth president in 1870.
Augsburg Seminary and Professor Weenaas left Marshall and relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1872.
Rev. David Lysnes was named fifth president in 1876, and the school is re-named Salem's Seminary and Marshall Academy.
Because of westward migration and the convincing argument of Norwegian James Wahl, Commissioner of Immigration for Dakota Territory, to "move with the people," the school relocated to Beloit in northwest Iowa in 1881, and re-claimed the name Augustana Seminary and Academy.
The Eidsvaag Bell became the subject of a legal argument over whether or not it was school property and could therefore be taken as the school left Marshall and relocated to Beloit, Iowa. The bell was impounded by the local sheriff from the platform of the railroad station so that it wouldn't leave town. Court action followed for two years when finally, following an out-of-court settlement, the bell arrived in Beloit in September 1883.
In 1884, the academy — and its bell — moved to Canton, Dakota Territory, and officially became known as Augustana College. Classes were held in a newly-built hotel that wasn't used for its intended purpose following the embezzlement of funds by the county treasurer to build it. This made it possible for the college to buy it for a fraction of what it cost to build. Professor M.D. Miller became the sixth president of the school and began to emphasize the liberal arts. Sixty-seven students were enrolled. (The seminary remained in Beloit until 1890, when its assets were moved to Augsburg Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota.)
Henry M. Solem was awarded the first Bachelor of Arts degree in 1888.
In 1889, Rev. Christian S. Salvesen became the seventh president and served only one year. In Sioux Falls, Richard F. Pettigrew, a lawyer and land developer, granted a parcel of land at the corner of what is now 28th Street and Summit Avenue for the construction of the Lutheran Normal School, now known as Old Main. Rev. Amund Mikkelsen was called to be its president.
Anthony Tuve assumed presidency of Augustana, at age 26, in 1890. One-hundred-sixteen students were enrolled — 76 boys and 40 girls.
Enrollment grew to 170 in 1891.
Due to the economic panic of 1893, the church withdrew support from the school and it was leased to Tuve. College courses were discontinued, leaving only preparatory, secondary and normal courses offered.
A second bachelor's degree is conferred upon Otto Schmidt in 1894.
In 1895, the Augustana College Association was formed to operate the college.
Ole Rolvaag, who wrote Giants in the Earth, graduated from the academy division in 1901.
A new building is built on the east side of Canton to accommodate the growth of the school and was dedicated in 1903.
In Sioux Falls at the Lutheran Normal School, Ladies Hall — now known as East Hall — is built in 1905 to house girls.
Back in Canton, in 1908, the first college paper, The Augustana, was published. Its aim was to "... develop healthy school spirit, be a true exponent of school life, and an interesting median between the school and its friends." The first band was organized. A full 4-year business course was developed to prepare students for a career in modern business.
In 1910, the Augustana College Association voted to provide for freshman and sophomore college work.
Dr. Paul M. Glasoe assumed the ninth presidency of the college in 1916.
The last academic year in Canton, 1917-18, enrollment reached a record 324 students and 16 faculty members.

1918-1964

By action of the church, Augustana College in Canton merged with the Lutheran Normal School in Sioux Falls, and became Augustana College and Normal School (ACNS) in 1918; 195 students were enrolled. Professor H.S. Hilleboe became the 10th president. The Eidsvaag Bell was installed in the school's belltower.
Rev. Dr. Charles Orin Solberg became the 11th president in 1920, determined to expand the liberal arts curriculum of the college and improve the quality of the faculty. The Administration Building was built and the first baseball and football teams were formally organized at Augustana College and Normal School.
The Augustana Concert Choir was founded by Dr. Carl Youngdahl in 1921.
The Augustana Student Association (ASA) was organized; the college joined the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (SDIC) in athletics and became known as the "Vikings." Blue and gold were chosen as the official school colors. Augustana helped to create the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra (SDSO) in 1922.
In 1923, Miss Julia Tisthammer received the first Bachelor of Arts degree awarded by the consolidated Augustana College and Normal School.
The first homecoming was held on Oct. 15, 1924.
In 1925, the Augustana College Association became the legal entity governing Augustana College and Normal School in Sioux Falls, and the Augustana Academy in Canton.
In 1926, Augustana was recognized as a 4-year college.
Approximately 85% of the students were Lutheran in 1927; 13 denominations were represented.
Dr. H. J. Glenn, pastor at First Lutheran Church, agreed to serve as the 12th president for one year only and believed the key to the college's future was to hire more Ph.D. faculty. The Edda, the school yearbook, was first published in 1928, and for three straight years received All-American ratings.
Dr. O. J. H. Preus was named president No. 13 in 1929. Homecoming was officially recognized as Viking Days.
The first night football game was played on campus on Sept. 27, 1930.
Augustana received accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1931. Arthur Larson was named the college's first Rhodes Scholar and Coach Lefty Olson arrived on campus to build an athletic program.
In 1932, music organizations increase in number and size with a string quartet, 40-member band, 75-member orchestra and a 51-voice choir. Rev. Clemens Granskou became the 14th president.
In 1933, the college purchased a home for the president at the corner of 26th Street and Duluth Avenue. This served as the president's home until the Fellows built a new home at the corner of 37th Street and Grange Avenue during the Balcer administration.
Joe Foss, WWII flying ace, Congressional Medal of Honor winner, former governor of South Dakota and first commissioner of the American Football League, enrolled at Augustana in 1934 while Sig Mickelson, future president of CBS News, graduated.
In 1936, the Augustana forensics squad placed first in the nation at the Pi Kappa Delta speech tournament in Houston, Texas, and the football team won their fifth straight SDIC conference championship.
The gymnasium is completed in 1937.
In 1938, the faculty organized itself into three divisions: humanities, social science and natural science. An aviation minor was added to the curriculum, directed by Dr. Albert Hoyem, physics professor.
"The Huddle" opened in the basement of the gym and Ole the Viking was created by Austin Kilian '42. Crown Prince Olav and Princess Martha of Norway tour the campus. The Forensic Department was given first place in the nation in accumulated records in regional and national tournaments over an 8-year period in 1939.
Olson led the effort to build a new on-campus football stadium. Much of the materials and labor is donated by area businesses and friends of Lefty's. The total cost when completed in 1941 was $32,000. The stadium was built on the site of the college farm adjoining the campus. It provided seating for 2,600. The Moses statue and Humanities Center now sit where the stands and field were located.
The nursing program was developed; Olson's football teams won 10 of 11 conference championships in the SDIC; Augustana joined the North Central Conference (NCC) in 1942.
The beginning of the 1942-43 academic year opened with the largest enrollment in school history with 587 students. By Oct. 1, enrollment dropped to an official 561; by second semester, 1943, it was down to 410. On Mar. 1, enrollment dropped to 339. All of this happened as a result of the draft and enlistment of men into the military. Later that summer, Dr. Lawrence Stavig was named the 15th president. In the fall of 1943, Augustana became the third college in the NCC to drop football, following the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State College. All 29 members of the previous year's championship squad were in military service. Olson enlisted in the navy, where he became an instructor in hand-to-hand combat.
In 1944, students could prepare for specialized training in teaching the deaf, and a degree course in nursing was offered.
Several barracks were moved from the Sioux Falls Air Base in 1946 to campus to accommodate a post-WWII increase in enrollment. The last of these temporary facilities was removed from campus in 2006.
Augustana graduated its first international student, Kari Prydz of Norway, in 1947.
In 1948, an "H-shaped" barracks was moved to the east side of campus and became known as the Science Building.
Sometime in the late '40s, perhaps 1949, Professor of Art Ogden Dalrymple designed the official college seal.
Tuve Hall was built and Dr. Earl Mundt was named director of the Augustana Theater in 1950.
Awards Day was first observed in 1951; it is now known as the annual Scholarship Dinner.
Augustana was the first Lutheran college to offer a major in deaf education in 1953. Viking Varieties, one of Augustana's most beloved homecoming traditions, held its first show in the gym, opening to a full house. Dr. V.R. Nelson, chair of the Physics and Math Department, invented a “heart shocker” for use at McKennan Hospital.
Between 1954 and 1965, the college had 14 Woodrow Wilson Scholars, six Danforth Scholars, 17 Fulbright Scholars, four National Science Scholars, 22 National Defense Scholars, three Rockefeller Scholars and one Rhodes Scholar.
Mikkelsen Library was dedicated in 1955.
Solberg Hall was built in 1956. The last intercollegiate football game was played on campus as games were now played at the new Howard Wood Field until the opening of Kirkeby-Over Stadium in 2009.
Augustana ventured into educational television as Dr. Don Fryxell taught a course in World Literature on KELO-TV in 1957.
Paul Rogness, class of 1958, became the college's second Rhodes Scholar.
Morrison Commons opened in 1959, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited campus and met with students.
The Centennial Year celebration began on June 1, 1960. As part of the celebration, The Augustana Choir, under the direction of Dr. Arnold Running, toured Norway for a month and spent two weeks in Germany. It was the first international tour in the college's history. Margaret Mead spoke at the Social Science Division convocation.
The Board of Regents approved social dancing in 1963, and eminent British historian Arnold Toynbee lectured on campus.
Bergsaker Hall opened in 1964. Cora Stavig, first lady of Augustana, was named National Mother of the Year.

1965-2005

Augustana awarded its first Master of Arts in teaching to Mrs. Vera Sadler, and Dr. Harold Krueger organized The Brass Choir. Leading up to the inauguration of Dr. Charles Balcer as the College's 16th president in 1965, architect and intellectual Buckminster Fuller, Lutheran theologian Dr. Martin Marty and Augustana alumnus Kenneth Thompson (vice-president of the Rockefeller Foundation) lectured.
The $2 million Gilbert Science Center was dedicated in 1966. A special education major was added to the curriculum.
The concrete statue of Ole the Viking on the south end of the Quad was created by Peter Eide '66 and dedicated at Viking Days 1967. The Jabberwock Coffee House opened in a cellar attached to East Hall.
Four students, the debate coach and librarian died in a plane crash returning from a debate tournament in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Granskou and Stavig Halls were dedicated in 1969.
The college adopted a 4-1-4 academic calendar; the football stadium made way for a new Humanities Center and The Center for Western Studies was created in 1970, with Dr. Herbert Krause as its first director. The Lawrence Welk Orchestra, led by alumnus Myron Floren '42, gave a benefit concert for the college at the Sioux Falls Arena.
In 1971, the Bachelor of Science degree was dropped leaving only the Bachelor of Arts degree. The Humanities Center was dedicated.
In 1975, jazz great Woody Herman performed on campus.
Cleveland industrialist and Sioux Falls native Thomas Fawick presents the college with a bronze casting of Michelangelo's Moses in 1976. Full-time enrollment reached 1,997 — 60 percent were women.
Viking Wrestling finished second at the NCAA Division II national championships in 1977. Walter Heller, chair of the President's Council of Economic Advisors under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson spoke on campus.
The Augustana Student Congregation became an official congregation of The American Lutheran Church (now ELCA) and consumer advocate Ralph Nader spoke on campus in 1979.
Dr. Bill Nelsen was named Augustana's 17th president in 1980.
The Chapel of Reconciliation was dedicated in 1981.
In 1982, Professors of Art Ogden Dalrymple and Palmer Eide finished The Muse, now located at the entrance to the Center for Visual Arts.
Joe Foss spoke in chapel in 1983 and Broadcast Entertainer Art Linkletter was a featured speaker at the Augustana Fellows 20th anniversary celebration.
The original Eide-Dalrymple Art Gallery was dedicated in 1984. Jody Powell, former press secretary to President Jimmy Carter, spoke on campus.
Augustana celebrated its 125th anniversary during the 1985-86 academic year. Internationally-known Columnist Jack Anderson addressed a Spring Fellows Dinner crowd of 800 at the Sioux Falls Convention Hall. A History of Augustana College by Dr. Donald Sneen was published.
Dr. Sidney Rand served for one year as the college's 18th president beginning in 1986. Dr. Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State, lectured on campus. During the summer, Old Main's east steps were removed, the windows were boarded up and the building became entirely vacant.
In 1987, Dr. Lloyd Svendsbye was named the 19th president of the college.
University of Michigan Football Coach Bo Schembechler was the speaker at a special Fellows Dinner in 1988.
The Elmen Center opened in 1989.
Viking Softball won the NCAA Division II national championship in 1991 under Coach Sandy Jerstad, the first in college history.
Nobel Prize Winner Elie Wiesel and Former Vice President Walter Mondale spoke at the Nobel Peace Prize conference on campus. Dr. Sidney Rand returned to serve the college again for one year as its 20th president in 1992.
William F. Buckley, syndicated columnist, lectured on campus. Dr. Ralph Wagoner was installed as the college's 21st president in 1993.
The Augustana Choir, under the direction of Dr. James Johnson, performed in Normandy, France, in June 1994, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Europe.
The first speaker in the Boe Forum on Public Affairs is Gen. Colin Powell, at the time the former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in 1995. The second speaker in the same year is the 41st president of the U.S., George H. W. Bush.
Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, spoke at Augustana as the third Boe Forum speaker in 1996.
In 1997, Terry Waite, Advisor on Foreign Affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury and former hostage, spoke at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum.
In 1998, the Nelson Service Center was built. The Right Honourable John Major, former prime minister of Great Britain, and Former First Lady Barbara Bush, speak at two Boe Forums during the year.
The Augustana Band was the first collegiate band to perform in the Demilitarized Zone dividing North and South Korea in 1999; the Madsen Center was dedicated; Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke at the Boe Forum. Crown Prince Haakon of Norway toured campus.
Dr. Bruce Halverson '66 was the first alumnus to be named president, the college's 22nd, in 2000.
The Fantle Building, housing The Center for Western Studies, was dedicated in 2001, and Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan spoke at the Boe Forum.
In 2003, Actor James Earl Jones spoke in the Mortenson Center Theatre.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was the 2004 Boe Forum speaker.

2006-Present

Rob Oliver was inaugurated as Augustana's 23rd president, and the Center for Visual Arts was dedicated in 2006.
Former Vice President Al Gore spoke at the Boe Forum in 2007; the Hall Football Complex and Sanford Practice Gym were dedicated; Maya Angelou lectured at a Union Board of Governors event; Dr. Jane Goodall spoke on campus and Former President of Mexico Vicente Fox and his wife, Marta, speak at the Boe Forum. The honors program, Civitas, enrolled its first class.
A new Viking logo was unveiled and the Vikings joined the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) in 2008. Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Connecticut) visited campus. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was the Boe Forum speaker and Greg Mortenson, (author of "Three Cups of Tea") lectured on campus. The faculty approved an Honor Code.
A $7 million renovation of Mikkelsen Library was completed. A record 61 students participated in undergraduate sponsored research in the summer of 2009. Kirkeby-Over Stadium, the Soccer Field and Huether Tennis Centre were dedicated and Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharaff spoke at the Boe Forum. All Viking Days festivities returned to campus.
The faculty approved a new Master of Arts in sports administration and leadership. The first three Civitas students graduated as the academic year ended in May 2010. The Vikings finished 11th among 288 NCAA Division II colleges and universities in the Learfield All Sports rankings — the highest in school history. The Eidsvaag Bell was removed from Old Main and officially rang for the first time in more than 20 years on the Sesquicentennial Day Opening Convocation on Sept. 8. Kelsey Ramstad, a sophomore and great, great, great granddaughter of James Wahl, the bell's savior, did the honors. It rang again following a Viking Days football victory on Oct. 9. The first woman U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, spoke at the Boe Forum on Nov. 4.
The 2010-11 academic year marked Augustana College’s sesquicentennial.
Augustana celebrated "The Spark," a gala held to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2011; the soccer facility was named Morstad Field in honor of alumni donors Kent ‘58 and Judy ‘61 Morstad; the Women’s Cross Country team won the Division II national championship.
Former statesmen and head of Google Ideas, Jared Cohen, spoke at the Boe Forum on Public Affairs in 2012; the baseball facility was renovated and renamed Karras Park in honor of alumni donors Don ‘76 and Donna Karras.
The Mayor’s Cup Challenge began in the 2012-13 academic year, which pits Augustana and crosstown rivals the University of Sioux Falls in head-to-head athletic competition, as well as ranking community service and student-athlete GPA.
Former U.S. Ambassador to China and Singapore, Gov. Jon Huntsman, spoke at the Boe Forum on Public Affairs in 2013.
Augustana and Sanford Health announce new master’s degree in genetic counseling in 2014.
On Sept. 1, 2015 — 155 years to the date of the institution's founding — the name was changed to Augustana University to better reflect the broadening of Augustana's academic mission. New programs were created, as well as the Student Success Center.
The state-of-the-art Froiland Science Complex was dedicated in September 2016. The 125,000-square-foot facility represents the largest and most complex building endeavor in the university’s history. It was named after Dr. Sven Froiland, longtime professor of biology, who influenced the lives of thousands of future physicians, nurses, researchers and business leaders. Viking Women’s Swimming was added as the university's 19th sport. Viking Men’s Basketball won the NCAA Division II National Championship.
Physicist Neil Degrasse Tyson spoke at the Boe Forum on Public Affairs in 2017; the football field at Kirkeby-Over stadium was named Jim Heinitz Field in honor of the legendary coach; Stephanie Herseth Sandlin was inaugurated as Augustana’s 24th president.
Continued investments in housing, such as a new apartment complex on Summit Avenue, was dedicated in the fall of 2017.
In 2017, former congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin became Augustana's 24th president and first female leader.
In June 2018, Augustana was one of only four universities in the country awarded the 2018 Lee Noel-Randi Levitz Retention Excellence Award. The honor recognizes the university’s high student retention rates and celebrates the various ways in which the entire campus community was engaged in retention efforts.
In June 2018, Viking Men's Baseball won the NCAA Division II College World Series.
Fall Semester 2018 saw an increase of students. Augustana welcomed its largest class since 1978 of more than 2,100 new and returning undergraduate and graduate students.
In September 2018, Augustana announced the creation of an online master's degree in special education.
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were the 2019 Boe Forum Speakers.
For the second time in program history, the Augustana Softball team claimed a national title in 2019.
In the summer of 2019, Augustana built an outdoor classroom on campus.
In the fall of 2019, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship (CTS) was established — partnering with various components of the university and engaging experts across the field of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).
In September 2019, Augustana was named a Top 10 regional university for the first time by U.S. News & World Report – ranking #9 in Best Regional Universities in the Midwest.
In November of 2019, Augustana announced its Master of Business Administration Program, with a 4+1 option providing undergraduate students the ability to earn both their bachelor's degree and an MBA within five years to begin in the fall of 2020. Its 2-year program for working professionals launched in the summer of 2021.
An inaugural ceremony for the Diversity Advocate Certification Program was held on Dec. 5, 2019, and honored 32 members of the Augustana community — providing participants with the tools needed to become change agents through the demonstrated use of acquired knowledge, support and awareness, aimed at creating a more inclusive environment.
In December 2019, following a 10-month campuswide strategic planning process, Augustana announced that the Augustana Board of Trustees has endorsed the university’s strategic plan Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030.
A new shortened study abroad program launched in 2020 allowed international students from Norway and China to take Sioux Falls and Augustana for a "test drive" during its four-week January interim — also known as J-Term.
In April 2020, Augustana announced Dr. Laurie Daily as the inaugural Dean of the School of Education.
On Mar. 24, 2020, Augustana announced it would deliver curriculum online for the remainder of the spring semester, prioritizing the health and safety of its students and the broader community as the spread of COVID-19 continued to impact Sioux Falls, the state and the nation.
On May 18, 2020, Augustana announced its Viking Flex Plan for Fall Semester 2020, with classes set to begin on campus in late August.
In May 2020, Augustana named Dr. Anissa Goehring as its inaugural Director of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree program.
In late May, Augustana announced Dr. Peter Folliard as the inaugural Dean of the School of Music.
In May of 2020, Augustana announced a new major — environmental studies.
Augustana launched its Medical Humanities and Society minor in the fall of 2020.
In the summer of 2020, the Augustana community came together to restore the university’s nearly 40-year-old tracker pipe organ, originally dedicated on Dec. 4, 1983.
In July of 2020, Augustana announced a $2 million gift that helped in the creation of the Sharon Lust School of Education, located in the Madsen Social Science Center on the university’s campus.
In August of 2020, in partnership with Our Savior's Lutheran (OSL) Church, Augusatana launched Campus Cupboard — a food pantry aimed at fighting food insecurity.
In the fall of 2020, the School of Music began the revival of the Augustana Marching Band with a drumline.
In October 2020, Augustana celebrated Viking Days 2020 in virtual and in-person formats.
AU celebrated more than 80 students, staff, faculty and administrators who completed the 20-hour Diversity Advocate Certification Program — more than twice as many graduates who was in the inaugural cohort in Fall 2020.
In November 2020, Augustana announced the addition of two sports. Men’s swimming & diving and the NCAA emerging sport of women’s acrobatics and tumbling would bring the Viking athletics offerings to 21 sports.
In December 2020, the School of Music invited the public to join the Augustana community for its annual Christmas Vespers 2020 Concert virtually through online streaming and television broadcasts.
Announced in March of 2020, Augustana and the Center for Western Studies announced Drs. Robert Green and Jamie Metzl as keynote speakers for the 24th Boe Forum on Public Affairs. For the first time, it was hosted online in the spring of 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In January 2021, Midco committed $1.35 million to enhancing its long-standing strategic partnership with the university with a renewed and enlarged athletics sponsorship, as well as creating the Midco Media Campus on campus.
In February, a donation from Miles and Lisa Beacom created a two-year pilot of the Beacom Research Fellows Program.
For the first time in its 161-year history, the university’s endowment fund has surpassed $100 million in March 2021.
In the spring of 2021, the Augustana University Athletics Department announces the renovation of Bowden Field, the home of the Viking softball team — set to be completed in 2022.
On May 18, 2021, Augustana broke ground on a $50 million housing plan focused on new and enhanced facilities. The housing project would create a new south residential village and include renovations to Bergsaker and Solberg Halls, as well as the campus green.
For the first time in Augustana’s history, the university’s commencement ceremonies were held in person at Kirkeby-Over Stadium on May 21-22, 2021, in order to meet physical distancing guidelines. The ceremonies included two separate undergraduate ceremonies for the Class of 2020 and 2021, as well as a graduate hooding and commencement ceremony for both classes.
In June of 2021, Augustana’s School of Music (SoM) became the proud artistic partner of the largest arts organization in the state — the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra (SDSO).
Augustana announced in the summer of 2021 that the university would offer a semester-long study abroad program in Central America with a physical location in Costa Rica.
In August, Dr. Matt Volansky was named the inaugural Dean of the School of Health Professions and Dr. Marcia Entwistle the inaugural dean of the School of Business.
In Fall 2021, Augustana's nursing program within its School of Health Professions is officially endorsed as a Holistic Nursing Program by the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC) — the only college in South Dakota and one of only 17 schools in the nation to earn this accreditation.
On Oct. 5, 2021, Augustana announced that it would be home to the Viking Men’s Hockey program — set to take the ice in the fall of 2023. The public announcement came during a groundbreaking ceremony on AU’s campus for the program’s new $40 million Midco Arena, facilitated by a lead gift from T. Denny Sanford, Midco, Sanford Health and several other major donors.
A celebration of the Augustana Band’s 125th anniversary took place in the form of a concert at the Washington Pavilion on Nov. 11, 2021, featuring the All City Middle School Honor Band, as well as a commissioned piece by Dr. James M. David, an internationally-recognized composer.

More History

Historical Sources

Augustana Landmarks
Presidents of Augustana
The HeArt of Augustana — Art Walk