OUR MISSION Inspired by Lutheran scholarly tradition and the liberal arts, Augustana provides an education of enduring worth that challenges the intellect, fosters integrity and integrates faith with learning and service in a diverse world.
OUR VALUES Christian. Liberal Arts. Excellence. Community. Service.
OUR VISION Augustana University aspires to be one of America’s premier church-related universities.
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, president
Dr. Pam Homan '81, chief strategy officer & executive vice president
Dr. Joel Johnson, provost
Shannan Nelson, chief financial officer & executive vice president
BOARD OF TRUSTEES, 2024-25
Pat McAdaragh '81, chair
Melinda Keith '89, vice chair
Todd Williams '83, secretary
Jill Weber Aanenson '93
Taha Afzal '22
Scott Barth '91
Dr. Maria Bell '84
Dennis Bly '94
Cheryl Collins
Blaine Crissman '84
Greg Daniels '75
Bishop Emerita Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl
Dr. Damien Fair '98
Dale Hoiberg '71
Dr. Gene Hoyme '72
Jillian Klein '01
Dr. Cheryl Leuning '72
Dr. Paul Limburg '87
Pat Lloyd
Jeanelle Lust '91
Kevin Nyberg '79
Dr. Mohammad Zeeshan Qamar
Keith Severson '79
Deb Wolf '88
To view the gratitude report and full listing of those who supported Augustana University in the 2024-25 fiscal year, visit augie.edu/donors
Dear donors, alumni and friends,
It is with deep appreciation that we present the 2024-25 Augustana Annual Report, highlighting a year of extraordinary progress made possible by your generosity and the momentum of Viking Bold.
Thanks to your support of annual and endowed scholarships, Augustana set another enrollment record — welcoming 2,458 undergraduate and graduate students in Fall 2025. For the second year in a row, AU has also been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 1 Regional University in the Midwest for Best Value — a testament to our mission of providing an education of enduring worth.
Your gifts are essential to our commitment to elevating the academic and student life experience. This past year brought expanded academic offerings, new opportunities in club sports and music ensembles, as well as significant facility enhancements — including initial updates to the Elmen Center and improvements to Tuve Hall. Renovations are also underway at the Chapel of Reconciliation and Mikkelsen Library steps and portico, with completion anticipated in Spring 2026.
Because of your investment, today’s students are preparing for lives of meaning and purpose, and future generations of Vikings will benefit from an even stronger university. Augustana alumni — through their leadership and service — are making meaningful contributions in communities near and far, and your generosity is at the heart of their stories.
With gratitude for all you make possible, we look forward to the milestones and progress that we will celebrate together in the year ahead.
Sincerely,
Pamela (Pam) J. Homan ’81, Ed.D. Chief Strategy Officer & Executive Vice President
Zaloudeks Continue 40+ Year Legacy of Fostering Growth and Philanthropy PAYING IT FORWARD
| BY SAMUEL MARTIN
Not many people can say that they have given to Augustana University for as long as Jane (Hemmel) ‘72 and Charles “Chuck” Zaloudek. For 45 years, the two have contributed to a range of funds from fellowships, scholarships, programs and building renovations.
The couple has had distinguished careers. Jane served in financial planning and investment management with Aspiriant LLC. Chuck served as a professor in the University of California-San Francisco’s pathology department — internationally regarded for his work in gynecological pathology. While the two reside primarily in California, they return to their downtown Sioux Falls condo several times throughout the year.
Jane and Chuck met in a clinical lab where she was working and he was completing a residency at Stanford University. They were married in 1975, with the late Rev. A. Richard Petersen (Pastor Pete), former campus pastor, officiating and the late Dr. Merle Pfleuger, former director of the Augustana Chapel Choir and coordinator of music education, at the organ.
“To show how far back (us meeting each other) was, they were still computerizing the lab before that time,” Chuck remembered. “The director didn't realize I was very interested in computers. I wanted to see everything. Jane kept saying, ‘Don't touch that!’ She spent a day keeping me from touching the buttons on her console!”
It was in 1980 that the Zaloudeks first became donors of Augustana — helping to finance the remodeling of the Elmen Center and various projects in the Fryxell Humanities Center.
“I think one of the things that Chuck and I have talked about is that we can make a difference here. I've always felt that I needed to give back,” Jane said. “We felt that we could step up and do this over time, which has now been over many years.”
The Zaloudeks also created the Jane and Charles Zaloudek Faculty Research Fellowship to support Augustana faculty.
“While admissions gets the students on campus, it's the faculty that keeps them here. It's the relationship building — the engagement between professors and students that not only enhances them academically, but personally,” said Jane.
When the Zaloudeks initiated this annual fellowship 20 years ago, it was their hope that they would inspire others to support faculty. At the time, there were three grants, which has grown to more than a dozen.
“We funded a fellowship annually for a faculty member in support of their work with the hopes that students would be included in their research projects. This not only aids the work of our faculty, but serves the student in their professional development,” Jane added.
In 2022, Jane was instrumental in launching Women Who Will (W3) — an initiative that raises annual funds for Women in Philanthropy Impact Scholarships in support of female college students. The program now supports 29 scholars, and the inaugural cohort will graduate in Spring 2026.
“I had a conversation with President Stephanie (Herseth Sandlin) about starting an initiative to share a common goal. A steering committee was formed in 2021, and it was decided that the group wanted to support scholarships for young women who showed initiative in giving back to their communities,” she shared.
“The thing behind Women in Philanthropy is that women are taking the initiative to donate the money and support the students and serve as mentors for them,” Chuck added. “It's involving women in a way that hasn't been the case in the past, and I think that's really been a great thing.”
This past September during Viking Days, Chuck was inducted into the Augustana Honorary Alumni Society, which recognizes individuals who have shown extraordinary dedication to Augustana’s mission, along with its core values.
“It's a real honor to be associated, semi-officially, with the university,” he said. “I've grown to love Augie. It's a very rewarding place to be involved with because you can see how things have been getting better and better here, and I've gotten to know a lot of people here and a lot of alums as well.”
Seeing the impact of their investments in Augustana continues to inspire the Zaloudeks, whose generosity and love for the university remains steadfast after 45 years.
“I believe that every dollar you give is received with gratitude at the university,” said Jane. “If you're passionate about something as we are, about education and educating future generations, it just feels great.”
“It's a terrific university,” Chuck added. “It's a very rewarding thing to contribute to the education of future generations. You're supporting something really worthwhile if you give to Augie.”
I BELIEVE THAT EVERY DOLLAR YOU GIVE IS RECEIVED WITH GRATITUDE AT THE UNIVERSITY. IF YOU'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT SOMETHING AS WE ARE, ABOUT EDUCATION AND EDUCATING FUTURE GENERATIONS, IT JUST FEELS GREAT.
2025 Augustana Honorary Alumni Society with President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (pictured left to right) Chuck Zaloudek, Tom Slattery, Linda Nyberg, Kay McNerney and Jim Heinitz
$25,828,958
$9,024,617 Capita
$5,048,905 Restricted
$4,650,324 Endowment
$946,726 Annual Fund & other
$6,158,386 New Planned Gifts
$3,513,180 $2,502,551
WE HAVE A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON THE UNIVERSITY AND ON OUR COMMUNITY, AND WE'RE ALWAYS VISIBLY TAKING THE LEAD AND HOPING TO GET GOOD THINGS DONE.
The Roots and Generosity of Joe and Jennifer Kirby Continue to Grow at Augustana
| BY SAMUEL MARTIN
Joe '75 and Jennifer (Frerichs) '93 Kirby are no strangers to giving back to their hometown community of Sioux Falls. The same goes for their alma mater, Augustana University. Their history as donors is just as prominent as their history as alumni, with Joe celebrating his 50th class reunion this year. Over the years, they have supported many initiatives at Augustana, including scholarship funds, athletics teams, building projects and campus beautification.
Joe and Jennifer are both from Sioux Falls and attended Augustana at different times.
Joe earned a bachelor’s degree in math and accounting, making fond memories along the way.
“When I was at Augie in the 70s, I discovered computer programming. I would write programs to do various things and one of them was to predict the outcome of NFL games,” he recalled. “I would load the deck of punch cards on the computer late in the day and then it would have to run overnight the next day to get the results of the football game. I would be the first to arrive the next day to retrieve results! I just got better and better at it. I also had a lot of fun playing chess with one of my math professors, Dr. Emil Knapp, and my friend Paul Chow (‘75). We played a lot of chess in the afternoons.”
After graduating from Augustana and earning a juris doctor from the University of South Dakota (USD), he began working at Western Surety (now CNA Surety), where he eventually became CEO.
During her time at Augustana, Jennifer was on the women’s cross country team and majored in economics. She went on to earn an MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, which led to a career in banking.
The couple met in 1997, while in a running club together. This is where they first began to talk about planning for the future.
“We met through friends,” Jennifer remembered. “They knew I was a regular runner and part of the running club. He went out and bought some running shoes and showed up one Saturday morning at 7 a.m. at the Running Club, and we hit it off talking, of all things, about strategic planning because we are both passionate about that. He was shockingly a natural runner!”
The two would go on to run in several marathons in their first year together before marrying in 2000 and adopting two older children in 2005.
Meanwhile, Jennifer became heavily involved in volunteer leadership, which has spanned 18 years. Eight of those years were dedicated to leading the effort in bringing Levitt at the Falls to downtown Sioux Falls. Serving in another way, both Jennifer and Joe were members of the Augustana Board of Regents (now Trustees) — Joe for more than a decade, three of which were as board chair, and Jennifer for five years. While on the board, Joe said he learned firsthand the importance of giving back to his alma mater.
“We have a unique perspective on the university and on our community, and we're always willing to take the lead and get good things done,” explained Joe.
The Kirbys’ most recent initiative in giving back to Augustana began last year. After learning about how many trees had been lost on campus over the years due to storm damage, they decided to support the university in a unique way.
“The idea arose from a tour that President Stephanie (Herseth Sandlin) gave us that — pardon the pun — planted the seed with me that maybe we should put in some new trees,” Joe shared, who has also been involved in a similar form of philanthropy for decades at a local golf course. “It's important to have a beautiful campus and trees are an essential part of that.”
So far, they have supported the planting of 18 trees throughout campus. By the project’s 2029 completion, there will be 50 new trees on campus — 10 each year.
“We plan to continue to do it as long as there's a need on campus,” he said.
Unique philanthropic support isn’t new to the Kirbys. In addition to the trees on campus and Levitt at the Falls, they have found other “creative ways to make a difference” with the establishment of the Kirby Dog Park in Downtown Sioux Falls and Kirby Place at the Walsh Family Village, which provides housing for cancer patients and their families adjacent to Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center.
The Kirbys said they’ve been fortunate enough to make more money than they need to live — now, they are giving it back.
“Giving during your lifetime can be more fun and impactful than waiting until you die. That way, you can enjoy seeing the results,” Joe said.
“We just feel like we're in the position to try to help Sioux Falls be as good of a community as possible. We have a lot of affection for Sioux Falls and Augustana is an important part of that. We just want to be solid supporters, year in and year out, and we believe that sort of giving is what can really make a difference at Augustana,” Jennifer added.
Recently, the Kirbys were named the 2025 Friend of the Foundation by the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation — celebrating individuals, families or businesses whose generosity and commitment have shaped Sioux Falls in meaningful ways.
Joe Kirby, pictured in the front on the far left, with the Augustana Chess Club in 1975. Photo courtesy of The Edda.
Jennifer (Frerichs) Kirby running on the Augustana Women’s Cross Country Team in 1993. Photo courtesy of The Edda.
