The University’s first female president, top rankings and record enrollment are just some of the news stories we shared last year. Here's a look back at some of the top newsmakers and happenings at Augustana University in 2017. 

For the third year in a row, students and faculty from Augustana's English and Journalism Department and the Writing Center have selected their Word of the Year (WOTY). This year's WOTY however, is not a word, per se, but rather a lexeme — something that functions as a single unit of meaning. Learn more about the selection of #MeToo as the 2017 WOTY.

From India to Ecuador, Norway, Greece, London and beyond, the world is the classroom for 145 Augustana students who will be studying off campus for J-Term 2018.

Meet the members of the Accelerated Nursing Program's Class of 2017 who were recognized on Thursday, Dec. 14, at the Nursing Pinning Ceremony, held on campus in the Chapel of Reconciliation. 

The Augustana Board of Trustees approved a number of faculty members for promotions and/or tenure at its December meeting.

Connie Evenson, an assistant professor of nursing, is the first recipient of the Augustana DAISY Faculty Award, an honor that recognizes extraordinary nurses who go above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of patients and families, and nursing faculty who provide exceptional instruction and inspiration for nursing students. 

Rev. Dr. Antje Jackelén, archbishop of Sweden, discussed "Reformation and Responsibility in the World" on Wednesday, Nov. 29, in Augustana's Chapel of Reconciliation as part of the University's celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

To encapsulate a school year in a book can be daunting, even without the added pressure of knowing that it will spark memories decades later. Andrea Conover ’17 and Kaylyn Deiter ’17, co-editors in chief of the Edda, Augustana's yearbook, and their team stepped up to the task and were recently commended for their work. The 2016-17 Edda placed eighth in Best of Show at the National College Media Convention in October, held in Dallas, Texas.

In real life, Ryan Menssen is a senior nursing major from St. James, Minnesota, who is well on his way to a fulfilling career in health care. But on Thursday, Menssen took on the persona of a 15-year-old kid caught in a spiral of labels and bad decisions as part of the Augustana nursing department's poverty simulation exercise.

Journalism professor Dr. Janet Blank-Libra says there is an apparent disconnect between empathy and objectivity in the news media — and many journalists intentionally eschew empathy in an attempt to remain unbiased. It has even come to be seen as taboo in the media. Four Augustana students, however, are bringing the discussion of empathy into the light and are encouraging more journalists to use it to bring greater truth into their reporting.