Eleven new faculty have joined the Augustana community this fall. They come from all across the United States to board the Viking ship as we set sail on a new academic year.

Augustana volleyball head coach Dan Meske today announced the signing of 14-year-old Lexi Valentine from Sioux Falls to a National Letter of Intent at Augustana. Valentine is now a member of the Augustana volleyball team thanks to Team IMPACT, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team.

Augustana honored 27 rising juniors with the prestigious Sophomore Honors Award during the University's Opening Convocation ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 30.

Anticipating his upcoming book "The Making of Working-Class Religion," Matthew Pehl, associate professor of history, was recently featured in Religion Dispatches, a Webby-nominated site for "the best writing on critical and timely issues at the intersection of religion, politics and culture."

Augustana University welcomed the Class of 2020 to campus on Saturday, Aug. 27, in person and on social media.

A new voyage began today for Augustana’s newest Vikings. Hailing from 19 states and 10 countries, members of the Augustana University Class of 2020 officially moved in to Bergsaker and Solberg halls on Saturday morning, bringing with them the kind of gear every Viking needs to begin a new journey: a comfy futon, well-worn sneakers, hundreds of t-shirts, an electric fan and some photos from home.

Dr. Jackie Howell, professor emerita of nursing, died on Sunday, Aug. 21. Howell served Augustana from 1967 to 2002 and again from 2005 to 2009. Funeral services are set for Thursday, Aug. 25, at Trinity Baptist Church in Sioux Falls. 

Matthew Housiaux, a 2016 Augustana graduate who majored in journalism and history, has been named a Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellow by the National Press Foundation. 

An Augustana scientific research project conducted this summer will provide local yeast strains for a local brewing company co-owned by an Augie alumnus.

Augustana University senior Natalie Walter, a native of Rochester, Minnesota, spent the summer volunteering at the Cape Coast University Hospital in Ghana and doing a project for the Public Health Program in Dodowa. We caught up with her to learn more about her experiences.