Augustana Receives $1 Million Donation for Athletic Scholarships

Even though we are still going through a pandemic and athletic departments all over the country are feeling the pain, we continue to see so much generosity from those alums and community members who care about those institutions.

There is no better example of this than what occurred last week at Augustana University with a huge donation going to their athletic department.

Augustana University has received a $1 million pledge for athletic scholarships from Bob and Trish Swanhorst of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

According to GoAugie.com, the funds will be used as follows:

This pledge will support all athletes, regardless of sport, and help further many goals of Augustana's strategic plan — Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030 — as it relates to academics, enrollment and strategic scholarships, as well as athletics. As members of the Viking Bold Steering Committee, the Swanhorsts have been tremendous advocates in the university's transition to NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics.

Bob played basketball for Augustana and graduated in 1961, with many honors at the school. He and his wife would go on to work in education in Huron, South Dakota, and Burnsville, Minnesota, as he would become a coach, and she would become a teacher.

After retiring in 1998, they moved back to Sioux Falls where both have stayed very active in volunteering and helping out in the Sioux Falls community.

People like them give all of us hope that there are so many great people out there in the world. Generous acts of kindness like this will have an impact at Augustana for years to come.

For more information on the donation, news surrounding the Augie Athletic Department and the University, you can visit their website.