Peter Eide, 72, class of 1966, died Tuesday, July 21, 2009, in Scottsdale, AZ, following a lengthy illness. Eide designed the concrete statue of Ole in the Viking Ship that stands today near the center of the Augustana campus.

Dr. M.C. “Terry” Hokenstad, class of 1958, was named 2009 Educator of the Year by the Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education, honoring his commitment to gerontological education and greater understanding about aging and the issues and concerns of older people.

When the project is completed in October, the facility will cover 37,400 square-feet and contain six championship-level courts.  Mike and Cindy Huether provided the lead gift for the new facility, which will be used for practice, competition, classes, and recreation.

Augustana junior Bethany Jochim from Pierre, SD, has been named a Rossing Physics Scholar for 2009-2010. Jochim will receive a $10,000 scholarship from the Thomas D. Rossing Fund for Physics Education Endowment within the ELCA Foundation.

A paper by Augustana’s Dr. Paul Egland, Assistant Professor of Biology, has been accepted for publication in The Journal of Bacteriology. The goal of his research is to understand the mechanism and results of communication between bacterial species.

Augustana College has received official notice that the South Dakota BRIN (Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network) grant was renewed by the NIH (National Institutes of Health) for another five years. This summer, the grant is supporting 24 Augustana students doing research.

Amy (Jorgensen) Caselli, a 2008 Augustana graduate, and her husband Ian are going to spend a year teaching in Tanzania under the guidance of Village Schools International. The nondenominational program sends missionary teachers to small villages in Africa.

The Department of Performing and Visual Arts at Augustana College recently announced 94 arts scholarships awarded for this coming academic year. The scholarship recipients will begin classes for the 2009 fall semester on Wednesday, September 9.

Richard Gregerson, Augustana class of 1957, received the 2009 Marshall M. McKusick Award from the University of South Dakota Student Bar Association during the annual meeting of the State Bar of South Dakota in Sioux Falls.

A new grant program will provide thousands of dollars for veterans working toward a degree in higher education. It's called the Yellow Ribbon Program, and at Augustana, those who qualify will receive up to $18,000 dollars for one year of tuition costs.