Five Augustana University students received Covenant Awards on Thursday, May 1, during a celebration in Hamre Recital Hall. The Covenant Awards lift up those who exemplify Augustana’s core values: Christian, Liberal Arts, Excellence, Community and Service. Meet the 2025 Covenant Award recipients.

As part of a ceremony held this afternoon, Augustana University dedicated the De & Dave Knudson Center for Global Engagement — previously known as the International Programs Office (IPO). Housed in the Administration Building on campus, the creation of the De & Dave Knudson Center for Global Engagement is part of Augustana’s strategic plan — Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030. With the creation of the De & Dave Knudson Center for Global Engagement, Augustana’s goal is to provide more than just essential services, but to better prepare students for an interconnected world in which we live.

As part of a ceremony hosted by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Augustana broke ground on Foundation Heights, a new apartment building for students located on the northeast corner of 28th Street and Grange Avenue. The approximately $12 million project is part of the university’s strategic plan — Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030 — to transform the physical campus to include new and enhanced facilities. Construction on Foundation Heights is expected to be complete by Fall 2026.

Augustana has raised $2.1 of the estimated $2.9 million needed to revitalize the Elmen Center, located on the southwest corner of 33rd Street and Grange Avenue on the university’s campus. The Bob ‘52 & Rita (Hale) Elmen Family Foundation and the James ‘60 & Eloise (Saugstad) ‘61 Elmen Foundation recently contributed $2 million to the project. With the funds the university has already received, Augustana will begin making updates this spring with the anticipated project completion by Summer 2026.