At present, this page provides alumni with the annual newsletter. This particular newsletter addresses 2004-2005. If you have ideas on how to improve or add to this page, please e-mail 
Susan L. Schrader, Chair of the Department.
This is the eighth newsletter for Sociology at Augustana. We are enthused about this as a way of communicating with you as alumni. We are hopeful you will find the Sociology newsletter to be an informative addition to the news you regularly receive through Augustana Today and other college publications.
Ten people graduated from Augustana in May with degrees in Sociology. Congratulations to these fine people on their accomplishments here at Augustana! We will miss them!
Three students graduated from Augustana with degrees in Social Work--Angie Baird, Anna Greenup, and Laura Mootz. It has been sad to see the end of a quality program--this is the last class of Social Work majors graduating from Augustana. But, these students have persevered and will represent Augie and the Social Work profession well. We are proud of them.
With Dr. Bill Swart on sabbatical during 2004-2005, quality adjunct support (alums Susan Bunger and Jessica Hanson) was retained to cover the introductory sociology courses. Additionally, a quality course on human sexuality was offered in January by Dr. Jessica Nathanson, a visiting professor in American Studies, currently teaching in the English/Journalism Department. We were blessed to have such excellent support for student learning in this leave year for Bill.
In Bill's absence, Susan Wortmann and I (Susan Schrader) continued our new team-taught course, Applied Sociology. We had some terrific students in field experiences in settings such as Planned Parenthood, East River Legal Services, Sioux Vocational Services, USDSM Autism Clinic, and Avera Behavioral Health. Using the HECUA model, the students invest in 5-10 hours/week in field experiences in the community, and together we as faculty meet with them weekly to discuss sociological concepts and readings illuminated by the field experience. It's been a terrific course--and one that allows us as faculty to grow, too!
Similarly, we had a number of students involved in internships in the city. For example, Kellie Furman did an internship at the Center for Disabilities at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine. Working with Jessica Hanson (recent alum), Kellie was able to shoulder a variety of projects, including the development of manual to prepare future researchers and project coordinators with a starting point in assessment and evaluation (see photo). Kellie was even asked to present her work at a poster session at the Center for Disabilities. We are so proud of her! And if that experience was not enough, she was recently hired there to work with a grant on fetal alcohol syndrome education. Way to go, Kellie!
On the 1st floor of the Madsen Center, we joked about everyone (or so it seemed!) being a "Sue" --Susan Schrader, Susan Wortmann, Susan Bies of Academic Services, and Susan (a.k.a. Shelly) Gardner of Business Administration. The year was an electric and lively one--lots of interaction with fine students, extraordinary activities by students, and challenges in scholarship. Dr. Wortmann stepped into a variety of new course preparations, and students raved about her teaching and engagement. As Chair, I was as pleased as I could be. Life was good.
At the end of January 2005, the year took a turn. We were informed (without process or conversation) that our sociologist-now-administrator colleague, Dr. Glenda Sehested, would be leaving her position as Associate Academic Dean and Registrar, with the tenured option of returning to the teaching faculty. While we welcomed Glenda's expertise and excellence in the classroom back to the department, the unintended (and in our departmental "mind" unnecessary) consequence was to jettison Dr. Wortmann (since she was not yet tenured). Despite months of jockeying and politicking, we did not prevail, and by mid-Spring, Dr. Wortmann regretfully accepted a position at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
So, we have had the wind taken from our departmental sails. Dr. Swart will be returning from his sabbatical, Dr. Sehested will be on leave, and we again will have some quality help from Jessica Hanson, Susan Bunger, and Jessica Nathanson. Year 2005-2006 will be one of visioning new responsibilities for our curriculum and preparing again a new cohesive team to meet the teaching, research, and service responsibilities.
In the spring of 2004, a few dedicated Sociology majors began the long process of establishing a club. Their dreams became a reality after months of researching and planning. The Sociology Club was started to create opportunities for students to explore various avenues within the field of Sociology, to expand their knowledge of contemporary sociological research, and to provide community and fellowship to students involved in the Sociology program. Now, the Sociology Club is a group recognized by the Augustana Student Association (which also means it has a budget!), and has a significant track record of activities for this year!
The Sociology Club grew quickly from only a few pioneers to 39 members from the Augustana student body, including the seven elected officers for 2005-2006:
Codie Thompson, President
Marie Drury, Vice President
Jeri Light, Secretary
Anna Lind, Treasurer
Programming, Lindsey Karlson
Publicity, Jackson Murthan and Dana Meyer.
Activities for the Sociology Club went from social events (like participating in the Homecoming Parade--see photo of Traci Horejsi pushing Liz Harr in a grocery cart [now Viking ship!] as they campaigned against the South Dakota food tax) to service projects (helping at The Banquet, a local food ministry) to education (film nights, career exploration, and discussions) to advocacy.
This year, advocacy focused on student action to try to retain a beloved sociologist, Dr. Susan Wortmann. Due to administrative restructuring, Dr. Wortmann's position was not secure. Sociology students wrote letters, created petitions (that over 300 people signed in support of Dr. Wortmann), and even sold buttons (like the one pictured below). Despite this groundswell of student activism, Dr. Wortmann's position at Augustana was not secured. Nevertheless, the students in the Sociology Club made their presence (and preference!) known to the College, engendered a change in the complacent culture of the place, and built a stronger sense of identity as a group.
Obviously, you are reading this newsletter on the Internet. However, some of your Sociology alumni friends may not be connected to the web. Our yearly newsletter is available only on the Internet, so if you'd like to share your web newsletter with them, do so! Otherwise, please suggest to them that they request a paper copy of the newsletter in the mail by completing the following information and sending it to us at:
So, all in all, we have had a good year. We watched with pride as thirteen Sociology and Social Work majors graduated in the Class of 2005 and we are pleased with growing enrollment within the major and the College at large.
Should you have occasion to return to campus, please know that the welcome mat is out for you!