On Oct. 15, President Andrea Kathryn Talentino was inaugurated as Augustana’s ninth president in 162 years since the school’s founding. 

The inauguration took place on the Viking Plaza, where speakers welcomed Talentino to Augustana. Speakers included alumni, staff and even Talentino’s father, who read a poem.

The inauguration was followed by a street fair on 7th Ave., where attendees were encouraged to bring dollar bills to participate in the events offered. The money raised at the street fair went towards a charity of Talentino’s choice; Rock Island High School Resource Room, a charity that offers Rock Island High School students necessities for free, such as clothes and food. 

The inauguration and the street fair took a lot of planning, according to Evan Sammons, Alumni Engagement and Fundraising specialist. 

“We wanted to create an event where everyone felt welcome,” Sammons said. “It’s hard to plan something that speaks to alumni, students and staff.”

While the day took a lot of time to plan, Sammons said it was worth every second because of the people he met.

“I worked alongside the team planning the inauguration, the Office of Student Life (OSL), the Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity (OSID), faculty, facilities, crew and even students on President Talentino’s board,” Sammons said. “It was really nice to meet all these people and form those connections.” 

Another big part of the inauguration was Kai Swanson, Augustana Alum and Special Assistant to the president. Swanson worked alongside Steven Bahls, Augustana’s eighth president, for many years. 

Swanson and Sammons agree that the best part of planning the inauguration has been working alongside so many different people from different aspects of campus.

“My favorite aspect of big events like this, and I put this right at the top of the big events that we do, is bringing together colleagues from different parts of campus, checking in with one another and sharing our expertise around something that’s going to be really momentous,” Swanson said. 

President Talentino offered some of her plans for the college.

“I think that we need to focus on how we can continue to make Augustana transformational,” Talentino said. “We can have a development semester, where students can spend 4 weeks in a classroom, and then can spend four weeks working with some kind of organization that does community development in the Quad Cities. This would be for credit as well.”

While President Talentino has been at Augustana for a few months, she said she still has much to learn about the campus.

“I have a sense of what Augustana is, but you know, the culture, history and legacy goes so much deeper,” Talentino said. “So it’ll take time to learn that.”

Steven and Jane Bahls are currently enjoying retirement since President Talentino and her husband have taken their place. 

“They’ve gravitated towards Montana, as their daughter Angela was born there,” Swanson said. “They’ll be spending most of their time in Missoula, as they’ve purchased a home there.” 

President Talentino and her family reside in the president’s home, located next to Arbaugh apartments. She holds office hours as well for students to speak with her on topics they find important.