Augustana College ( Illinois ) Augustana College is a private liberal arts college in Rock Island , Illinois , United States . The college enrolls approximately 2 , 500 students . Covering of hilly , wooded land , Augustana is adjacent to the Mississippi River . Ninety - one percent of the full - time faculty hold Ph . D . s or the terminal degrees in their field . History . Augustana College was founded as Augustana College and Theological Seminary in 1860 by the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod . Located first in Chicago , it moved to Paxton , Illinois , in 1863 and to Rock Island , Illinois , its current home , in 1875 . After 1890 an increasingly large Swedish American community in America promoted a new institutional structure , including a lively Swedish - language press , many new churches , several colleges , and a network of ethnic organizations . The result was to foster with pride a sense of Swedishness in the United States . Thereby there emerged a self - confident Americanized generation . Augustana College put itself in the lead of the movement to affirm Swedish American identity . Early on all the students had been born in Sweden but by 1890 the second generation of American - born students predominated . They typically had white - collar or professional backgrounds ; few were the sons and daughters of farmers and laborers . These middle class youth developed an idealized view of Sweden , characterized by romanticism , patriotism , and idealism , just like their counterparts across the Atlantic . The new generation was especially proud of the Swedish contributions to American democracy and the creation of a republic that promised liberty and destroyed the menace of slavery . In 1947 , the Augustana Seminary formally seperated from Augustana College and became an independent body . It remained on the Rock Island campus until the 1960s , when the Seminary moved to Chicago . Academics . Augustana ranks among the top forty U . S . liberal arts colleges in the sciences , based on the number of graduates earning Ph . D . s . Students accepted to Augustana typically rank in the top 10 % of their high school classes . The middle 50 percent of enrolled students for the class of 2012 scored 24 - 29 on the ACT , well above the national averages . Augustana College is considered highly selective . Augustana currently has approximately sixty academic programs including nine pre - professional and eight interdisciplinary programs : Academic Programs Accounting , Africana Studies , Anthropology , Applied Mathematics , Art , Art History , Astronomy , Biochemistry , Biology , Business Administration , Chinese , Chemistry , Classics , Communication Sciences & Disorders ( including Speech Pathology and Audiology ) , Communication Studies , Computer Science , Creative Writing , Economics , Education , Engineering , Engineering Physics , English , French , Geography , Geology , German , Graphic Design , History , International Business , Japanese , Landscape Architecture , Mathematics , Multimedia Journalism , Music , Neuroscience , Philosophy , Physics , Political Science , Psychology , Religion , Scandinavian , Sociology , Spanish , Theatre , World Literature Pre - Professional Programs Dentistry , Law , Medicine , Nursing , Occupational Therapy , Optometry , Pharmacy , Physical Therapy , Veterinary Medicine Interdisciplinary Programs Africana Studies , Asian Studies , Environmental Management & Forestry , Environmental Studies , Latin American Studies , Medieval & Renaissance Studies , Neuroscience , Women ' s & Gender Studies Campus . Academic buildings . Old Main was constructed between 1884 and 1893 . It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . On August 2 , 2010 , the New Science Building was officially named the Robert A . and Patricia K . Hanson Hall of Science after Robert Hanson , a former John Deere CEO . Mr Hanson , who donated $ 8 million to the college , credits his success in life to his time spent at Augustana . The science building was dedicated in 1998 is the largest academic building serving approximately 700 students in 17 majors , minors and concentrations . The Hanson Hall of Science ' s facilities and resources include seven classrooms , thirty - five laboratories ( including a cadaver lab ) , a 400 MHz liquid - and solid - state NMR ( nuclear magnetic resonance ) spectrometer , scanning electron microscope , instrumentation for X - ray powder crystallography and a fully functioning 40 - foot greenhouse . Residential complexes . Augustana has five traditional residence halls : Andreen Hall , Erickson Residence Center , Seminary Hall , Swanson Commons , and Westerlin Residence Center . All five of these residence halls are coeducational . The majority of first year and sophomore year students typically reside in one of these five residence halls . For upperclassmen , Augustana also offers Transitional Living Areas ( TLAs ) , apartment - like complexes or traditional off - campus houses administered by the college ' s Office of Residential Life , in which Augustana students live . The school takes care of basic maintenance in these areas , some of which are House on the Hill , Naeseth , and Arbaugh Apartments . These areas usually have 2 - 6 students who share a bathroom , a kitchen , and other living spaces . Augustana provides several services to attending students . Services include : campus ministries , career center , student counseling , academic advising , student employment , business office , food services , safety office , campus security , computer services , and campus recreation . Student Life . Organizations Since 1950 , Augustana has had a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honor society . The College also has non - " Greek " collegiate fraternal organizations , including Alpha Phi Omega ( APO ) ( service ) , Sigma Alpha Iota ( SAI ) ( music ) , Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia ( music ) , Epsilon Sigma Alpha ( ESA ) ( Service ) , Alpha Psi Omega ( ΑΨΩ ) ( theater ) , and others . The Omicron chapter of Phrateres , a non - exclusive , non - profit social - service club , was installed here in 1941 . Between 1924 and 1967 , 23 chapters of Phrateres were installed in universities across North America . ( The chapter name " Omicron " was reused for the chapter installed at San José State University . ) Augustana has a local Greek system , which includes seven sororities Chi Alpha Pi ( CAP ) , Chi Omega Gamma ( COG ) , Delta Chi Theta ( Delta Chi ) , Phi Rho , Sigma Kappa Tau ( KT ) , Sigma Pi Delta ( Speed ) , and Zeta Phi Kappa ( Zetas ) and seven fraternities Alpha Sigma Xi ( Alpha Sig ) , Beta Omega Sigma ( BOS ) , Delta Omega Nu ( DON ) , Gamma Alpha Beta ( GAB ) , Omicron Sigma Omicron ( OZO ) , Phi Omega Phi ( Poobah ) , and Rho Nu Delta ( Roundels ) . Augustana has many other organizations , including a chapter of , a National Band Association chapter , American Choral Directors Association ( ACDA ) , Paintball Team ( NCPA ) , American String Teachers Association ( ASTA ) , Psychology Club , Business Club , DDR Club , Anime Club , Asian Student Organization ( ASO ) , Ladies of Vital Essence ( L . O . V . E . ) , The Order of the Phoenix , Majestic Hearts , Majestic Gents , Martial Arts Club , and many other organizations . Athletics . The Augustana Vikings compete in the NCAA Division III College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin ( CCIW ) . The Vikings compete in a combined total of 22 male and female team sport s , and five out of seven students compete in some form of varsity , club , or intramural sport . Between 1983 and 1986 , the Augustana College football team won four consecutive Division III national championships under Coach Bob Reade . Coach Reade ' s overall winning percentage of 87 % is second only to Larry Kehres and Knute Rockne on the all - time list . Augustana College was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1912 - 1937 . Current varsity sports include : LACROSSE ( M / w ) , baseball , basketball ( m / w ) , cross country ( m / w ) , football , golf ( m / w ) , soccer ( m / w ) , softball , swimming ( m / w ) , tennis ( m / w ) , track & field ( m / w ) , volleyball , wrestling . Notable faculty . Accounting Art History Chemistry Communication Sciences & Disorders ( CSD ) English Geology Geography History Mathematics Sociology