The winter issue of the magazine for alumni and friends of the college celebrates "champions" of education. Whether in a classroom, as an administrator, a university president, or on a desert migrant trail, these Augustana graduates are doing all they can to help nurture and support the young people of today in order to make tomorrow's world even better.

Read the Argus Leader feature about Texas-based artist Alice Leora Briggs, the force behind the Eide/Dalrymple Gallery's haunting new exhibit, "Alice Leora Briggs: Near Impunity." Briggs will speak at a special presentation on Juárez at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, in Kresge Recital Hall. The gallery reception is set for 5-7 p.m. on Friday, March 9.

In a free informational session yesterday at Oak View Public Library in Sioux Falls, Augustana Financial Aid officials stressed the need for families to complete the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) sooner rather than later.

“Interpretations of Wounded Knee 1973 and 1890,” an exhibit commemorating the 40th anniversary of the occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973 will be on display in the Madsen/Nelson/Elmen Galleries of the Center for Western Studies’ Fantle Building March 5-May 26.

Jeremy Aylward, class of 2007, will be among 70 American Heart Association volunteers invited to a White House "Community Leaders Briefing" on cardiovascular health on Friday, Feb. 24, as part of American Heart Month.

Dr. Paul Nesheim has been named associate professor of music and director of The Augustana Choir, the fifth in the Choir’s 90-year history. Nesheim most recently served as associate professor of music and director of choral activities at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Sixty area boys and girls basketball teams from fourth grade through ninth grade will shoot hoops for a good cause at the 17^th annual Fighting Hunger and Feeding Hope Basketball Tournament, set for March 16-18 at the Elmen Center.

Augustana freshman Adam Braun, a native of Shoreview, Minn., has been selected to represent Team USA at the North America, Central America and Caribbean (NACAC) Cross Country Championships on Saturday, March 17, in Port of Spain, Trinidad. "This selection is a huge honor and speaks volumes about the fact that Adam is one of the brightest up-and-coming runners in the United States right now,” said head cross country coach Tracy Hellman.

Verdier 2012 is a week-long celebration of Augustana's core values, named in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Covenant Award. The celebration is set for April 16-20 and will highlight service projects by Augustana students, faculty and alumni and will feature panel discussions, a quiz bowl and the 2012 Covenant Awards ceremony.  

The Augustana Women's Association (AWA) has collected 56 dresses for the Cheyenne River Youth Project's "Passion for Fashion" event, an annual event in Eagle Butte, S.D., that provides teenage girls in need with prom essentials such as dresses, shoes and make-up.