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Augustana University student-athletes are not only excelling on the playing field, they’re getting it done in the classroom. In Academic Year 2024-25, three Augustana University student-athletes — Ella Bakken ‘25, Liz Dierks ‘25 and Ryan Hartman ‘24 — earned NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships, which recognize the association's most accomplished student-athletes.

Since 2018-19, Augustana is tied for the most scholarships won (11 in total) compared to all schools in NCAA Division II and ranks in the top 10 among all NCAA schools nationwide.

Augustana has been ranked the No. 1 Regional University in the Midwest in Best Value for the second year in a row by U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best College Rankings — viewed as the gold standard in college rankings lists. In addition, U.S. News ranked Augustana No. 7 in Best (Overall) Regional Universities in the Midwest. AU is listed in other Best Regional Universities Midwest categories, including No. 6 in Most Innovative and No. 7 in Best Undergraduate Teaching.

In Fall 2024, the Office of Faith & Spiritual Life embarked on a new initiative in coordination with Augustana Athletics — a Team Chaplains Program — with the purpose of “further integrating spiritual well-being into the lives of student-athletes and coaches. Now that a more intentional relationship between the Office of Faith & Spiritual Life and Athletics has begun, they hope it strengthens over time.

Augustana University took on an unexpected challenge in the spring of 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic.

With hearts full of school pride, Viking Days now holds an extra special place in the hearts of this year’s royals Alex Folgar ‘26 and Gabriela “Gabi” Rabonni ‘26.

Meet your 2025 Viking Days Royals.

This fall, the Augustana University Rydell School of Business introduced a trust minor to its offered studies — developed as part of Augustana’s strategic plan Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030. The minor — available at only a handful of colleges nationwide — aims to offer Augustana students another avenue to study as a potential career.

For more information on the trust minor at Augustana University, visit augie.edu/trust.

This past September, Augustana University student Zouhera Mahamed ‘27 was named a recipient of the Obama Foundation’s Voyager Scholarship (also known as the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service). Created by former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama and Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, Mahamed is only the second South Dakota student and third South Dakotan to have been awarded the scholarship.

In the fall, Augustana University brought back its criminal justice major after nearly 35 years — adding to the list of interdisciplinary academic programs being developed as part of Augustana’s strategic plan Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030.

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.

Augustana looks back on the university's top 10 stories of 2025.