Every student at Augustana College is served by the Department of Athletics in our mission to offer an opportunity toward the development of the total person. Our department assists in the acquisition and development of dynamic life skills, knowledge and fitness in a cooperative and active learning environment.
We are dedicated to imparting a lifelong awareness of health and wellness in an atmosphere which values accountability, communication, dignity, diversity, integration, respect and teamwork. The Department of Athletics challenges each student to achieve a sense of cohesiveness, pride, self-confidence and team unity through active participation in competitive sport. Our programs support the academic mission of the College by focusing on growth in specific Learning Outcomes such as communication skills and leadership development.
Our department believes that student-athletes must be representative of the student body as a whole, meaning that all students, including student-athletes, are subject to the same admissions and financial assistance standards. Student-athletes will continue to demonstrate the same, if not better, academic performance as their classmates as measured by annual graduation and retention rate surveys. Student-athletes should be fully integrated within the structure of the College and have the same academic and social experiences as other students, meaning there is not a “subculture” of student-athletes in specific academic courses or majors. Additionally, our team rosters will include student-athletes from different geographic regions of the U.S. and include international representation.
Our department values ethnic and gender diversity, equitable programmatic resources and the opportunity for our student-athletes to achieve excellence in a wide variety of sport offerings.
Our department supports broad-based participation opportunities in the sports we offer, meaning that student-athletes of different abilities should have the chance to participate, particularly in junior varsity teams. Likewise, the College does not strive to be competitive in only a few sports, but to achieve a standard of excellence in all sports within available resources.
Our department values programs that help students grow in mind, body and spirit, by encouraging our student-athletes to integrate fully within the life of the College. Our coaching and support staffs play a vital role in both challenging and helping our student-athletes grow as whole persons.
Our department seeks to develop programs that are highly competitive within the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, one of the best NCAA Division III conferences in the nation, along with the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball Conference.
