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Augustana looks back on the university's top 10 stories of 2025.

This fall, the �������� Rydell School of Business introduced a trust minor to its offered studies � developed as part of Augustana strategic plan Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030. The minor � available at only a handful of colleges nationwide � aims to offer Augustana students another avenue to study as a potential career.

For more information on the trust minor at ��������, visit augie.edu/trust.

The Augustana Esports Program � the university home of organized gaming � has found a space to call home on campus. Established in 2022, the program acquired a lab on the second floor of the Fryxell Humanities Center this past spring.

�������� has recently been awarded a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for the �promotion and support of religious, educational or charitable purposes.� Augustana is one of 48 recipients in Lilly Endowment National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life 2025.

With support from Lilly Endowment, Augustana will launch a 5-year storytelling initiative, �Sacred Discoveries: Stories of Christian Flourishing in College.�

In Fall 2024, the Office of Faith & Spiritual Life embarked on a new initiative in coordination with Augustana Athletics � a Team Chaplains Program � with the purpose of �further integrating spiritual well-being into the lives of student-athletes and coaches. Now that a more intentional relationship between the Office of Faith & Spiritual Life and Athletics has begun, they hope it strengthens over time.

�������� student-athletes are not only excelling on the playing field, they�re getting it done in the classroom. In Academic Year 2024-25, three �������� student-athletes � Ella Bakken �25, Liz Dierks �25 and Ryan Hartman �24 � earned NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships, which recognize the association's most accomplished student-athletes.

Since 2018-19, Augustana is tied for the most scholarships won (11 in total) compared to all schools in NCAA Division II and ranks in the top 10 among all NCAA schools nationwide.