从顶峰大道眺望:
a mess年龄 from president stephanie herseth sandlin
充满希望, 机会和可能性, it’s no surprise why thousands of students, 无论远近, 选择12bet中文官方平台. They seek the cour年龄ous spirit and infectious energy that makes them become lifelong Vikings and call Augustana home. 在我就任总统的第二年, I am extremely proud and honored to join these students and our alumni, 社区, faculty and staff in celebration of our spirit and Augustana’s first 100 years in Sioux Falls.
In 1918 upon formal consolidation of Augustana College and the Lutheran Normal School, 共招收195名学生。, students who I’m sure were filled with the same hopes and dreams as our students today. 和, if my first year was any indication of things to come, there’s no doubt that together we will seize the opportunities and overcome the challenges of the century ahead.
Augustana University has established a proud foundation. We will continue to attract top students and create tomorrow’s servant leaders and innovators, while instilling our timeless core values that will serve them so well throughout their lives: Christian Faith, 文科, 卓越, 社区, 和服务.
With our ongoing commitment and evolution to offer immersive, 一流的学术, 文化, athletic and social opportunities for students, we’ve generated record-breaking annual enrollment and retention levels. This academic year marks the largest student body since 1978 with 2,118 new and returning students. Our full-time returning students represent 29 states and 36 countries. The number of graduate students is 326 and is expected to grow with the launch of our new graduate programs. 在全国范围内, Augustana was one of only four institutions in 2018 to receive the Noel-Levitz Retention 卓越 Award.
作为教育者, Augustana remains committed to adding value to every student experience, which is the driving force of every decision we make. It is our commitment to embrace and drive change, continuously working to innovate and improve our 项目和服务 for all students. That has led to enhancements to the physical campus environment with recent renovations to classrooms in the Humanities Building, 哈姆雷独奏厅, and the future expansion of the Morrison Commons, 创建一个更全面的学生会, the gateway by which most hopeful students enter Augustana University. 体育运动 is also gearing up for the construction of an outdoor track and field complex, 哪一个将在明年秋天完工.
We also recognize the need to adapt to change in our academic programs without compromising rigor and quality, and to always be current while remaining a university as transformative as the students who represent us in this global climate. This recognition has inspired expansion of our academic offerings, with the recent addition of such degrees as a Master’s in Special Education, and both a Major and Minor in Data Science. We’ve also added a 4+1 option for Sports Administration & 领导 in order to expand access to this graduate program, and we’re prepared this fall to offer a Master’s in Athletic Training.
Attracting the growing volume of students we’ve seen over the past few years has required Augustana to evolve to meet the changing needs of our students and our 社区. 为此目的, Augustana received a six-figure grant to help us launch a campus-wide sustainability initiative, including the advancement of a campus-wide strategic plan to integrate sustainability into the curriculum, 课余活动, 以及校园运营.
Our performing and visual arts programs have had an outstanding year. New faculty have reenergized the Augustana Orchestra and the Northlanders Jazz Band with dynamic performances and opportunities for students. 繁忙的音乐会季正在进行中, The Augustana Choir presented Christmas Vespers 2018 in both Sioux Falls and Minneapolis in early December. The Augustana Band will go on its fifth Viking Voy年龄 to China in early 2019 for its annual concert and study tour trip and I’m sure it will be a trip of a lifetime for our talented students.
Our student athletes have had a tremendous year! Men’s baseball won their first-ever Division II College World Series National Championship. Women’s basketball earned the 2018 NSIC Tournament title and, 连续第四个赛季, the team landed inside the top-25 of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Team Honor Roll. Augustana Women’s Golf and Women’s Tennis teams also earned conference titles for the eighth and ninth consecutive years, 分别.
就我个人而言, I’m honored and humbled to lead this great institution, and I look forward to the bright future ahead. 去的维京人!
温暖的问候,
斯蒂芬妮·赫赛斯·桑德林
总统