Jessica Ruf and Tia McKillip, both of Sioux Falls, have been named the 2017 Augustana Peace Scholars.

Augustana University's Peace Scholars Selection Committee today announced the finalists for the 2017 Peace Scholarship, a prestigious honor that features a seven-week study at the University of Oslo's International Summer School (ISS) in Norway, June 18 through Aug. 4. The 2017 Peace Scholars will be announced during this week's Rendezvous, beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10, in the Back Alley, located inside Morrison Commons.

Three Augustana theatre productions recently earned regional honors from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, a national theater program involving 20,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide. In addition, a number of Augustana students and faculty members also received awards for playwriting, scenic design, acting and presenting. 

The video series developed to share the story of Augustana's 2016 DII national basketball championship has earned top honors from the W3 Award, an organization that honors and celebrates creative excellence on the web with judging by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts.

From Norway to India, Guatemala, Ecuador, Germany, Italy and beyond, 171 Augustana students are spending the month of January studying the histories, economies, languages and cultures of countries around the globe.

Augustana's Society of Physics Students has earned a Distinguished Chapter designation from the SPS National Council. 

The Augustana Research Institute today released a new research study titled "Affordable Housing Needs Assessment 2016." The study was conducted for Sioux Falls Thrive, a nonprofit coalition aimed at creating "cradle to career" pathways by improving the local ecosystem around K-12 education. 

At its core, Augustana's Martin Luther King Challenge is a day of service. But according to AU organizers, it's also much more. The event, held on Saturday, Jan. 14, challenged students to view their service project as a challenge to be solved. This year the challenge was to provide foot care and shoes to people in need, in collaboration with Samaritan's Feet International and the Banquet. KELO-TV covered the story.

The Dean's List recognizes full-time students who have a minimum of 12 credit hours with grade-point averages at 3.5 or above (on a 4.0 scale).

South Dakota teacher and alumna Amanda (Metzger) Christensen is the recipient of a $25,000 Milken National Educator Award, recognizing her work furthering excellence in education.