ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS (June 19, 2020) — Based on guidance from the state of Illinois and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Augustana College is in the early stages of reopening its campus.
Beginning Monday, June 22, Augustana will welcome prospective students and their families for campus tours. Tours must be set up by appointment and are limited to one family at a time.
“We hear time and time again that the campus tour is one of the most important factors in a student’s college choice,” said Anna Castro, manager of campus experience. “It gives students a chance to imagine themselves here.”
Tours will be led by Augustana students and follow CDC recommendations on social distancing and the wearing of face-coverings.
For students interested in touring campus virtually, the Office of Admissions offers a driving tour. Students can tune in to a student-led podcast tour from their vehicles. Those who prefer to walk around campus are asked to wear a face-covering and practice social-distancing.
Since the college discontinued campus tours on March 17, 664 prospective students have participated in Augustana’s virtual tours. The college also launched a series of videos titled Tiny Tours that can be accessed on the college’s Youtube channel (www.youtube.com/augustanacollege).
“I'm incredibly proud of the creativity and flexibility of our team the last three months,” said Karen Dahlstrom, executive director of admissions. “We hosted virtual admitted-student days, online faculty sessions, virtual tours, one-on-one video chats, online information sessions and college planning workshops, orientation events and more.”
Dahlstrom says the need to go virtual introduced the admissions office to ways to connect with even more students from across the country. The admissions office will continue to host virtual offerings after in-person tours resume.
In early June, Augustana’s custodial employees returned to campus and joined police, public safety, facilities, and other essential departments that remained on campus during the stay-at-home order. The college’s custodial team has begun a deep cleaning of campus buildings that will continue through the summer. All employees will be screened before beginning their workday on campus.
The college plans to start in-person classes on August 31. The plan will continue to evolve over the summer, taking into consideration the continued guidance and recommendations from the state of Illinois, the CDC, and other public-health authorities. More information can be found at www.augustana.edu/augustana-strong.
Founded in 1860, Augustana College is a selective four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences. Augustana is recognized for the innovative program Augie Choice, which provides each student up to $2,000 to pursue a high-impact learning experience such as study-abroad, an internship, or research with a professor. Current students and alumni include 165 Academic All-Americans, two Nobel laureates, 13 college presidents, and other distinguished leaders. The college enrolls 2,500 students and is located along one of the world’s most important waterways, the Mississippi River, in a community that reflects the diversity of the United States.
