Mission, purpose and goals

Augustana’s mission, purpose and goals carefully were written to reflect tradition and vision. Founded by Swedish Lutheran settlers in Chicago in 1860, Augustana has grown from a small school educating Swedish immigrants into a selective college of the liberal arts and sciences. 

The college honors its roots and its affiliation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. At the same time, Augustana’s rich liberal arts environment is enhanced by diversity.

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 college shall assure freedom of academic inquiry and expression.

Goals

The goals of Augustana College are:

• To develop in qualified students the characteristics of a liberally educated person through a program of general studies. 
• To develop in each student expertise in a major field of study.
• To encourage each student to confront the fundamental spiritual issues of human life by discerning their individual and communal callings, supported by the academic study of religion and the campus ministry program. 
• To supplement students’ formal curricular programs with a full range of opportunities for personal growth and vocational discernment through participation in co-curricular activities.
• To encourage the personal and social growth of students through its residential life programs and extracurricular activities. 
• To offer the church and local communities the benefit of its programs and staff within the context of its basic mission as an undergraduate liberal arts college.