Bold & Boundless

Augustana's future is bold and boundless

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,  motivating them to have an 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 experiences at this college.

Now is the time for action to prepare the next generation of leaders. This is the impetus for our strategic plan, Augustana Bold & Boundless.

To reach our strategic goals, we must compel and support students of all backgrounds to choose Augustana, persist and thrive; we will prioritize engaged learning to maximize our students’ potential; and we will provide real-world learning experiences to prepare them to lead  in their communities and in the world. For Augustana Bold & Boundless to succeed, student success will be our focus. 

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.