2024 Winter Letter
Hello, Augustana University alumni! Augustana University had a big year in 2023, and the momentum of Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030 continues to push the university ahead amidst an era of uncertainty and destabilization within higher education. Shared with you are updates from President Herseth Sandlin’s Mid-Year Update for the 2023-24 academic year and other exciting things happening on campus and within the Augustana community. 1. Ace, the Augie Doggie, made a return to Augustana and has captured hearts as the university’s goodwill ambassador. 2. Augustana University welcomed 2,158 total students in the fall — Augustana’s largest student body in 44 years. Included in the overall number are 215 enrolled international students, breaking the previous record of 188 students. 3. Augustana celebrated 100 years of homecoming during Viking Days! A naming dedication and blessing of the Augustana pond, Viking Oasis, and its fountain, Ole Faithful, was held. The Class of 1973 celebrated their 50th reunion, an exhibit featuring alumni artists through the years was displayed, the first cohort of honorary alumni was recognized, alumni gathered for pancakes and the Viking Days parade in the rain, Alumni Achievement Award recipients were honored and many more student and alumni events brought energy to campus throughout the week. 4. With a successful 2023 season, Augustana has added former NCC rival, South Dakota State University (SDSU), to its upcoming schedule and will play in Brookings, South Dakota, in the fall. 5. During the 2024 January Interim (J-Term), 155 students and 17 faculty members studied for four weeks in 17 different countries. 6. This January, Augustana Men’s Hockey moved into its new home, Midco Arena, and opened the doors to the public on Friday, Jan. 26, as the team played its true home opener against Ferris State in front of a sold-out crowd. This season, the team had notable wins against Bowling Green, the University of St. Thomas, Denver University, Colorado College and Arizona State. 7. Augustana’s partnership with Evidence in Motion (EIM) in the School of Health Professions and the Augustana Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program will be expanding. Augustana will soon be offering a doctor in occupational therapy (OTD) program and expanding its DPT program into Denver, Colorado, with a speech-language pathology (SLP) graduate program to follow. 8. This academic year, retention of first-year students from fall to spring is the highest it has been in recent years at 95.2%. 9. As of Monday, March 18, 2024, the Viking Bold campaign has raised $166 million of the $175 million goal set by the Augustana University Board of Trustees in 2019 to be completed by the end of 2026. 10. The Fall Dean’s List recognized 970 full-time students who achieved a grade-point average of 3.5 or above (on a 4.0 scale). New and revitalized academic programs, athletic teams, facilities and scholarships have elevated the student experience at Augustana. These accomplishments, and the contributions made by our expansive alumni community, continue to prepare students for success in the classroom and their community. Soon, these students will join the Augustana alumni community of more than 30,000 graduates worldwide. An exciting time for Augustana and its alumni is Viking Days, the university’s annual homecoming weekend. This fall, Viking Days 2024 will be held the weekend of Oct. 4-6. A full schedule of events, links to registration forms and tickets will be available in the coming months. In the meantime, you are invited to follow the Augustana University (SD) Alumni Facebook page to stay up to date with alumni in the news, events and more! Alumni are also invited to update Augustana with new addresses, phone numbers and emails to ensure that you are notified of upcoming events in your area and receive updates from Augustana through our biannual magazine, The Augustana. Don’t forget to share life updates ranging from births and marriages to new jobs, new degrees and updates on alumni that have passed through Class Notes at augielink.com/ClassNotes. Lastly, alumni are encouraged to complete the 2024 Augustana Alumni Engagement Survey. All information remains confidential, and the results will help the Office of Alumni Engagement improve its programming and events to attract all alumni and continue to build a strong alumni community. Completion of the survey by April 5, 2024, enters your name into a raffle for a chance to win one of five $100 gift cards to Ole’s Outlet in the Morrison Commons or the Skol Shop in Midco Arena. Thank you for your continued support of Augustana University! We cannot wait to hear from you and see you at an upcoming event. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Office of Alumni Engagement at alumni@augie.edu or 605.274.4404. Sincerely, Hosea Kost ‘20 Director of Alumni Engagement & Event Services Office of Alumni Engagement Augustana University