Last month, the Augustana women's cross country team won the NCAA Division II national title in Spokane, Wash. Among the Viking runners crossing the finish line was senior Kelly Kougl, a native of Cheyenne, Wyo., who had just lost her father to cancer a week earlier. Read her emotional interview with the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

Augustana's Society of Physics Students (SPS) chapter has been named one of the Midwest's Outstanding SPS Chapters for its efforts to "spread the joy of science" to local high school students, the campus community and the general public.

In an effort to help those in need this holiday season, Augustana’s Christmas Giving Program is hoping to collect 1,000 gifts for area children, families and individuals. Gifts will be presented to Children’s Inn, Children’s Home Society, Heartland House, Lutheran Social Services and the Boys and Girls Club of the Sioux Empire.

The Augustana community mourns the loss of Dr. Daniel Swets, associate professor and chair of computer science and mathematics; Kevin Anderson '87; and others killed in a plane crash Friday near the Sioux Falls Regional Airport.

A memorial service to honor the life and accomplishments of Dr. Daniel Swets will begin at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14, in Augustana’s Chapel of Reconciliation. Students, faculty and staff, and community members are invited to share their memories of Dr. Swets, for inclusion and/or display at the service.

To his students and colleagues, Dr. Daniel Swets was much more than just a teacher – he was a skilled scientist and a talented researcher with a passion for helping young people discover the wonder of science. Students and colleagues shared their memories of Dr. Swets with KELO-TV and KDLT-TV.

At a memorial on Wednesday, Kevin Anderson, Augustana class of 1987, was remembered for serving students, colleagues and his church "with a servant's heart." A programmer analyst for the Sioux Falls School District, Anderson was killed in a plane crash on Friday along with Dr. Daniel Swets, Joshua Lambrecht and Brian Blake.

At a memorial service on Wednesday, Dr. Daniel Swets, longtime associate professor and chair of computer science and mathematics, was remembered as a talented scientist and revered teacher who cared deeply about his students, his colleagues and, most of all, his family.

Richard "Dick" English, professor emeritus of Business Administration and Accounting, died on Tuesday, Dec. 13, in Arizona. He was 67. English joined Augustana in 1974 and served the College for 35 years before retiring in 2009. Visitation is set for Sunday, Dec. 18. Funeral services will be held on Monday, Dec. 19.

"Thank you to our students, faculty and staff, alumni and community members for their generous support," said Billy Thomas, director of Volunteer Programs for Augustana. “We’re excited to help provide happy Christmas memories for children, families and individuals in need right here in Sioux Falls.”