Augustana College (Illinois)

Augustana College is a private Lutheran college in Rock Island, Illinois. The college enrolls approximately 2,349 students. Its campus is adjacent to the Mississippi River and covers 115 acres (46.5 ha) of hilly, wooded land.

This article is about the college in Illinois. For the university in South Dakota, see Augustana University.

Augustana College
TypePrivate college
Established1860 (1860)
Religious affiliation
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America[1]
Academic affiliation
Annapolis Group
Endowment$196.8 million (2022)[2]
PresidentAndrea Talentino
Students2,349 (Fall 2022)[3]
Undergraduates2,318 (Fall 2022)
Postgraduates31 (Fall 2022)
Location
Rock Island
,
Illinois
,
United States

41.5023°N 90.5504°W / 41.5023; -90.5504
CampusUrban, 115 acres (47 ha)
ColorsNavy blue and gold    
NicknameAugie
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division III – CCIW
MascotVikings
Websitewww.augustana.edu

History

Augustana College was founded as Augustana College and Theological Seminary in 1860 by the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod. Located first in Chicago, it moved to Paxton, Illinois, in 1863 and to Rock Island, Illinois, its current home, in 1875.[4]

After 1890, an increasingly large Swedish American community in America promoted a new institutional structure, including a lively Swedish-language press, many new churches, several colleges, and a network of ethnic organizations. The result was to foster a sense of Swedishness with pride in the United States. Thus, there emerged a self-confident Americanized generation. Augustana College put itself in the lead of the movement to affirm Swedish American identity. Early on all the students had been born in Sweden but by 1890 the second generation of American-born students predominated. They typically had white-collar or professional backgrounds; few were the sons and daughters of farmers and laborers. These middle class youth developed an idealized view of Sweden, characterized by romanticism, patriotism, and idealism, just like their counterparts across the Atlantic. The new generation was especially proud of the Swedish contributions to American democracy and of the creation of a republic that promised liberty and destroyed the menace of slavery.[5]

The college grew by donation of 5 acres (2.0 ha) on the south in 1886 and purchase, enabled by donation of C.J.A. Ericson, of 10–12 acres to the north in 1899.[6][7]

In 1947, when Conrad Bergendoff was college president, the Augustana Seminary formally separated from Augustana College and became an independent body. It remained on the Rock Island campus until the 1960s, when the Seminary moved to Chicago.[8] It merged with other Lutheran seminaries to form the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Campus

Academic buildings
Old Main

Old Main was constructed between 1884 and 1893. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[9] On August 2, 2010, the New Science Building was officially named the Robert A. and Patricia K. Hanson Hall of Science after Robert Hanson, a former John Deere CEO. Hanson, who donated $8 million to the college, credits his success in life to his time spent at Augustana.[10] The science building, dedicated in 1998 and enlarged in 2019, is the largest academic building serving approximately 700 students in 17 majors, minors and concentrations.[11] The Hanson Hall of Science's facilities and resources include seven classrooms, 35 laboratories (including a cadaver lab), a 400 MHz liquid-and solid-state NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectrometer, scanning electron microscope, instrumentation for X-ray powder crystallography and a fully functioning 40-foot (12 m) greenhouse.

In October 2021, Augustana dedicated the Peter J. Lindberg, M.D., Center for Health and Human Performance in honor of alumnus Peter J. Lindberg. The 52,000-square-foot Lindberg Center is home to the college's new kinesiology program and growing public health program, as well as the men's and women's swimming/diving and new water polo teams.[12]

Residential complexes
House on the Hill

Augustana has five traditional residence halls: Andreen Hall, Erickson Residence Center, Seminary Hall, Swanson Commons, and Westerlin Residence Center. All five of these residence halls are coeducational. The majority of first-year and sophomore-year students typically reside in one of these five residence halls.[13] For juniors, Augustana also offers Transitional Living Areas (TLAs), apartment-like complexes or traditional off-campus houses administered by the college's Office of Residential Life, in which Augustana students live. The school takes care of basic maintenance in these areas, some of which are House on the Hill, Naeseth, and Arbaugh Apartments. These areas usually have 2–6 students who share a bathroom, a kitchen, and other living spaces.[14]

Fryxell Geology Museum

Th Fryxell Geology Museum, named after Augustana geologist Fritiof Fryxell, features a large collection of dinosaurs and fossils, rocks and mineral specimens.[15][16] Displays include a complete skeleton of a Platecarpus "sea serpent", skulls of Parasaurolophus, Ankylosaurus, Apatosaurus, Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex and a 2-billion-year-old fossil. There is also a complete 22-foot-long (6.7 m) skeleton of Cryolophosaurus, a large, crested carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Antarctica in 1991 by Augustana paleontologist William Hammer. The museum is located in the Swenson Hall of Geosciences and is open during the academic year. Admission is free.

Student life

Academics

The most popular undergraduate majors at Augustana, based on 2021 graduates, were:[17]

  • Biology/Biological Sciences (83)
  • Psychology (45)
  • Business Administration and Management (32)
  • Finance (31)
  • Accounting (30)
  • Communication Sciences and Disorders (27)
  • Marketing/Marketing Management (26)

The college is classified as "more selective" accepting 41% of applicants.

Organizations

Since 1950, Augustana has had a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. The college also has non-"Greek" collegiate fraternal organizations, including Epsilon Tau Pi (ΕΤΠ)(Eagle Scouts), Alpha Phi Omega (APO) (service), Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI) (music), Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (PMA) (music), Epsilon Sigma Alpha (ESA) (Service), Alpha Psi Omega (ΑΨΩ) (theater), and others.[18] The Omicron chapter of Phrateres, a non-exclusive, non-profit social-service club, was installed here in 1941. Between 1924 and 1967, 23 chapters of Phrateres were installed in universities across North America. (The chapter name "Omicron" was reused for the chapter installed at San José State University.)

Augustana has a local Greek system, which includes seven sororities Chi Alpha Pi (CAP), Chi Omega Gamma (COG), Delta Chi Theta (D-Chi), Phi Rho, Sigma Pi Delta (Speed), and Zeta Phi Kappa (Zetas) and eight fraternities Alpha Sigma Xi (Alpha Sig), Delta Omega Nu (DON), Gamma Alpha Beta (GAB), Iota Chi Epsilon (IXE), Omicron Sigma Omicron (OZO), Phi Omega Phi (Poobah), and Rho Nu Delta (Roundels).[19]

Augustana has many other organizations, including a chapter of MENC: The National Association for Music Education, a National Band Association chapter, American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), Paintball Team (NCPA), American String Teachers Association (ASTA), College Democrats of America, College Republicans, Psychology Club, Business Club, DDR Club, Anime Club, Asian Student Organization (ASO), Latinx Unidos, Investment Club, Ladies of Vital Essence (L.O.V.E.), The Order of the Phoenix, Martial Arts Club, Student Government Association and Viking Pups, a club dedicated to training service dogs on campus.[18]

Transportation

Augustana College is located on the east side of Rock Island and is accessible via the Quad Cities MetroLINK. Routes 10, 53, and 57 provide bus service from campus to downtown Rock Island, downtown Moline and other destinations.[20]

Athletics

Augustana athletic teams are nicknamed as the Vikings. The college is a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) for almost all of their sports since the 1946–47 academic year. The only current exception is women's bowling, in which the Vikings are charter members of the single-sport Central Intercollegiate Bowling Conference (CIBC) that began competition in the 2019–20 season. The Vikings compete in a combined total of 25 male and female team sports, and five out of seven students compete in some form of varsity, club, or intramural sport. The Vikings previously competed as a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) from 1912–13 to 1936–37.[21]

Augustana College competes in 28 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, eSports, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, water polo and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, eSports, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, water polo and wrestling;.[21]

Between 1983 and 1986, the Augustana College football team won four consecutive Division III national championships under Coach Bob Reade. Coach Reade's overall winning percentage of 87% is second only to Larry Kehres and Knute Rockne on the all-time list.

Notable people

Alumni

Faculty

See also

References
  1. "Mission and history". augustana.edu. Archived from the original on March 12, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  2. As of June 30, 2022. U.S. and Canadian 2022 NTSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2022 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY21 to FY22 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 7, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  3. "Augustana College". Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  4. Conrad Bergendoff, "Augustana...A Profession of Faith, A History of Augustana College, 1860–1935" (1969)
  5. Dag Blanck, The Creation of an Ethnic Identity: Being Swedish American in the Augustana Synod, 1860–1917 (2006)
  6. "An Augustana Campus History: 1900–1929". Augustana College. Archived from the original on September 6, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  7. Ernst W. Olsen (1917). The Swedish Element in Illinois, Survey of the Last Seven Decades, With Life Sketches of Men of Todayr. Swedish American Biographical Association. p. 125. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2016. (from sub-chapter section on "Augustana College and Theological Seminary")
  8. Thomas Tredway, "Coming of Age: A History of Augustana College, 1935–1937" (2010)
  9. "Old Main, Augustana College, 3600 7th Avenue". City of Rock Island. Archived from the original on May 5, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
  10. "Hansons donate $8 million to name Science Building". augustana.edu. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  11. "Science Building fast facts". augustana.edu. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  12. "'Remarkable' Lindberg Center open for classes and competition". Augustana College. October 15, 2021. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  13. "Our Residence Halls". augustana.edu. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  14. "Augustana College - Campus". Augustana College. Archived from the original on May 18, 2011.
  15. "Fryxell Geology Museum". Augustana College. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  16. "Fabulous Fryxell". KWQC.com. January 30, 2015. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  17. "Augustana College". nces.ed.gov. U.S. Dept of Education. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  18. "Student Groups". Augustana College. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  19. "Augustana College – Greek Life". Augustana College. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010.
  20. "Metro System Map". Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  21. "The Official Athletic Website of Augustana College". Augustana College. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  22. "Ken Anderson". IMDb. Archived from the original on August 15, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  23. "This CNN Hero upcycles old computers to open new worlds for young Kenyans". CNN. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  24. "EVANS, Lane Allen, (1951 – )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  25. Medlin, Linda K. (January 2, 2018). "Obituary – Greta A. Fryxell". Diatom Research. 33 (1): 123–133. doi:10.1080/0269249X.2017.1419988. ISSN 0269-249X. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  26. "Steven Kemenyffy bio". Archived from the original on March 16, 2016.
  27. "Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist". National Governors Association. Archived from the original on June 12, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  28. "Daniel C. Tsui – Biographical". nobelprize.org. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  29. "Minnesota Legislators: Past & Present-Gustav Wahlund". Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  30. "David Walton, MD MPH | ThoughtWorks". www.thoughtworks.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  31. "Louise Nathanson Collection". Augustana College.
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