Augustana is ranked the No. 6 baccalaureate college in the nation for its efforts to advance social mobility, research and service, according to Washington Monthly’s 2010 College Rankings.

Augustana will mark its 150th anniversary, and the beginning of the academic year, on Sesquicentennial Day, Wednesday, Sept. 8. The community is invited to attend Opening Convocation at 2 p.m. in the Elmen Center.

Augustana is ranked No. 5 among the Best Regional Colleges and No. 2 among "great schools with great prices" in the Midwest, according to the 2011 edition of America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News Media Group.

Augustana will offer a series of Continuing Education workshops from September through December. The workshops apply toward undergraduate or graduate college credit and meet teacher certification/re-certification requirements from the South Dakota State Department of Education.

Despite the lingering challenges still facing our economy, the Augustana Fund raised a record $1 million for the fiscal year ending July 31, 2010, a 24 percent increase over the prior year.

Fifty-nine Augustana students are participating in undergraduate research projects on- and off-campus this summer.

In its second year, the student-run Augie Garden is providing fresh produce to people in need, while helping students and members of the community connect with nature.

Augustana College has again been named one of the best colleges in the Midwest, according to The Princeton Review, a nationally known education services company.

Amos Odenyo came to Augustana from Kenya in 1961 as part of the Kennedy-Mboya Airlift Program. In "Staring at the Nyanza Sun, A Kenyan-American Memoir," his son chronicles his late father's inspirational life. 

Augustana is reporting a 30 percent increase in its Summer College enrollment since 2008. This year, 558 students are enrolled in summer classes, up from 430 students two years ago.