Bold & Boundless

Mission

Augustana College, deeply rooted in the liberal arts and sciences and an inclusive expression of Lutheran higher education, is committed to offering a challenging education that develops the qualities of mind, spirit and body necessary for students to discern their life's calling of leadership and service in a diverse and changing world.

Purpose

The purpose of Augustana College is to afford an opportunity for a higher education in the liberal arts that provides for the development of all dimensions of human existence, in a manner consistent with the higher education values of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. As a community dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion, Augustana prizes interfaith engagement, commitment to justice, spiritual exploration, reasoned examination and vocational discernment. In carrying out this purpose, the corporation shall assure freedom of academic inquiry and expression.

Augustana's future

Since its founding, Augustana College has educated and graduated people of purpose, with deep passions, the skills to accomplish ambitious goals, and extraordinary gifts for leadership. Our graduates possess a way of thinking about, and looking at, the world that equips them with a panoramic view of their community and the world that motivates them to have impact wherever they are. This is what Augustana has done since 1860 and we aspire to continue to shape graduates who impact their communities because of their experience with us. Now is the time to take the necessary actions to prepare the next generation of impactful leaders. This is the impetus for Augustana Bold & Boundless: to ensure we remain affordable, accessible, and student focused.

Resources

• Bold & Boundless: This primarily internal document was developed by the Strategic Planning Commission and approved by the Augustana College Board of Trustees in late January 2024. This is the foundation for our strategy. It is the base from which other resources will be developed for use with other groups, including alumni and other external constituents.
• Bold & Boundless summary: This one-page summary shares proposed measurements of Bold & Boundless. It's a useful overview of what we've elected to focus on and how we hope to monitor and measure our success.
• Online proposal form (or PDF version): The Implementation Council developed this form to invite others to contribute initiatives that align with Bold & Boundless. Several ideas have already been proposed using this framework, which is central to sharing great work by members of our community to advance Bold & Boundless.
• Preliminary list of exemplars: Members of the Implementation Council started a list of efforts that model what we hope to see more of through implementation of Bold & Boundless. This list reinforces that Augustana is already on a pathway to maximize student potential, prioritize engaged learning and connect through partnership.

As new information about Augustana's strategic plan becomes available, it will be added to this page. 

About the strategic planning process

This strategic planning process began in 2022, shortly after the arrival of President Andrea Talentino, as the college's ninth president. A true collaborator, President Talentino is committed to building upon the previous plans and incorporating voices from stakeholders across campus and beyond.

Members of the Strategic Planning Commission include:

• Ashley Allen, OSID
• Jacob Bancks, Music
• Kent Barnds, Executive Vice President for External Relations
• Jacob Bobbitt, Business Office (tri-chair)
• Anna Castro, TRIO
• Shelley Cooper, Theatre Arts
• Nathan Frank, Physics
• Lauren Hammond, History
• Jennie Hemingway, Title IX
• Wendy Kelley, Admissions
• Charles Kim, Trustee
• Kiki Kosnick, World Languages, Literature, and Culture
• Addison Larson, Student
• Dan Lloyd, Athletics
• Doug Parvin, Philosophy
• Melinda Pupillo, Campus Ministries
• Michael Reisner, Environmental Studies
• Evan Sammons, Advancement
• Laura Schnack, Student Life
• Nadia Schwartz, Accounting
• Alvin Theccanat, Student
• David Thornblad, Business Administration (tri-chair)
• Tom Weigand, Trustee (tri-chair)
• Xiaowen Zhang, Political Science
• Mindy Zumdome, Human Resources

The commission is committed to ensuring their work is inclusive and transparent, and they will promote broad participation across campus.

Input from members of the Augustana College community, on and off campus, will help ensure the strategic plan will reflect a shared vision, common goals, and actionable strategies to guide Augustana in the years to come.