Teaching at Augustana

Augustana has called Rock Island home for 140 years. We were founded to help the children of recent immigrants find their way in America. Their parents sought an education that was classical but which also led to "occupations which demand knowledge and culture."

We have remained faithful to that mission. Today, nearly 40 percent of our entering class are international students or American students of color; about a third of all our students are in the first generation of their families to attend college. The two words that best describe them are "smart" and "engaged."

We have vibrant and thriving academic programs in fields ranging from the natural (and communication) sciences to history and creative writing.

Our commitment to our faculty, and the college’s other professionals, is as enduring. Institutionally, we want our professionals to have meaningful careers — that is, careers where they can make a difference in the lives of their students, their discipline and the college — and to enjoy a good life away from their professions. In short, we try to balance a high-engagement workplace with your need to have a life.

We know that the vast majority of people considering careers here know nothing about the Quad-Cities community and few have direct experience with the culture and strengths of a liberal arts college. Indeed, only about a third of our own faculty attended a liberal arts college and only a bit more studied in the Midwest.

In order to help you ask better questions and to make a better-informed decision about a career at Augustana, we have summarized some of the information and perspectives that you might find most helpful about our students, our culture and our community.