Augustana selects Lindsay Adolphs to lead CORE, community-engaged learning

Augustana College announces the selection of Lindsay Adolphs as the assistant vice president for CORE and community-engaged learning. Adolphs, who now serves as executive director for academic and career planning at St. Ambrose University, will join the college April 15.

Adolphs was selected after a nationwide search led by Dr. Sangeetha Rayapati, professor of music, and an interview process that involved Augustana faculty, staff and students. Adolphs will lead CORE (Careers, Opportunity, Research, Exploration), the college’s center for preparing students for meaningful post-graduate work, service and education.

Located in the Olin Center at the heart of Augustana’s campus, CORE is a multi-pronged department focused on experiential learning. CORE initiatives include career planning and preparation, international and off-campus study away, research, service learning, vocational exploration and community-based learning centers, including the Upper Mississippi Center.

Provost Dr. Dianna Shandy said Adolphs has more than a decade of experience connecting new graduate talent with the workforce with a focus on student affairs and student development.

“Lindsay Adolphs comes to Augustana with a depth of experience in academic and career development and building and maintaining strong relationships with the community,” Dr. Shandy said. “She has a reputation for making things happen, and that approach is exactly what Augustana needs as we move forward to implement our new Bold and Boundless Strategic Plan.”

Adolphs said she chose Augustana because of the college’s unwavering commitment to both academic excellence and community-engaged learning.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to support the impactful work already being done by CORE and collaborate with members of both the Augustana and Rock Island communities,” she said. “Through this collaboration, I am excited to create new and innovative community-based learning experiences for students, enhancing their educational journey while also uplifting the Rock Island community.

“It is an exciting time to join the Augustana community, and I can't wait to get started.”  

Adolphs has served St. Ambrose University since July 2021, first serving as the career center director. Prior to that she served the University of Iowa, Iowa City; Ashford University, Clinton; and Clarke University, Dubuque.

Adolphs earned an M.S. in college student personnel from Western Illinois University, Macomb; and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Iowa, Iowa City. She is a member of the National Association of Academic Advising, National Association of Colleges and Employers, Career Professionals of Iowa, and Career Leadership Collective.

CORE prepares students for life after Augustana. The most recent survey of recent graduates found that 99% of respondents from the Class of 2022 reported positive career outcomes: 76% were employed and 23% were in graduate school. For Augustana’s athletes and international students, the outcome was 100%.

CORE was launched in 2014 as part of the college's prior strategic plan, Augustana 2020, under the direction of President Emeritus Steve Bahls. In May 2022, Forage, an international firm that connects students with job simulations, ranked Augustana No. 10 in the U.S. for “experiential learning.” That same year, President Emeritus Bahls received the 2022 Career Services Champion Award from the National Association of Colleges and Employers for his leadership in career development programming.