June 24, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by Sioux Falls Seminary.

Visitors to Augustana University now have a new front door – one that reflects what can happen when organizations work together.

The newly named University Welcome Center at 2100 S. Summit Ave. is the new home to Augustana’s admission and financial aid offices.

“The space is really going to meet the needs of our prospective students and families when they come to campus,” admission counselor Haley Elness said. “We want to relieve any worry about where to park and how to get there, so it will be much easier to connect them with that first point on campus and then help show them around.”

Technically, the building is part of Sioux Falls Seminary.

Augustana’s admission office will be one of 16 organizations with space in the 45,000-square-foot building and will use much of the main floor.

“An admission office is a very important space for a university. It’s the first step on campus, the front door, and they had a need. So it was a pretty easy conversation,” said Nate Helling, CFO and vice president of operations at Sioux Falls Seminary.

“It’s a space that has been used by the community a long time. And in recent years, our space needs have changed considerably as our student body has become more globally dispersed. As our approach to education became more personalized and contextual and the way we used our space changed, we decided to bring in like-minded partners interested in collaboration.”

A large Augustana banner now greets visitors, with a variety of seating in the lobby.

“It’s a beautiful space, filled with natural light,” Elness said. “And the back half of the building will be for permanent offices and visitor rooms for meeting one-on-one with families.”

The offices are moving from Augustana’s administration building, which can be more difficult to find on campus and doesn’t have as much meeting space.

Augustana and Sioux Falls Seminary have worked together in a multitude of ways for years, Helling added.

“We have found a lot of ways to work together. For example, our counselors and therapists at Sioux Falls Psychological Services provide student counseling services for Augustana. Their IT, maintenance and groundskeeping, business office and financial aid teams provide services for the seminary. Our collaboration allows each of us to leverage our unique strengths while serving the other.”

It’s a theme he said he’d like to see more of in this field.

“It’s a pretty cool story that you don’t see enough of in higher education. We don’t see each other as competitors. We’re doing a lot of the same things and offer many similar services, so it makes perfect sense to work together in certain areas,” Helling said.

“We’re two independent schools that have looked for ways to collaborate, and we’re constantly having conversations about how we can share resources. By thinking collaboratively, both of our missions are better served. I encourage every school to think this way.”