On May 6th, Dr. Dag Blanck, Director of the Swenson Center, was named Augustana Honorary Professor of Swedish-American Studies to acknowledge his lasting contributions to the field and to Augustana College.
The title was presented to Dag by Provost Wendy Hilton-Morrow and President Steve Bahls at a celebration honoring Dag's 45 years of association with Augustana College and the Swenson Center's 40th anniversary.
"Upon both this 45th anniversary of your first arrival to Augustana College and the 40th anniversary of the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center, Augustana College President Steven Bahls and Provost Wendy Hilton-Morrow jointly bestow upon you this honorific title to formally acknowledge your lasting contributions to the field of Swedish-American Studies and to Augustana College.
Your roots run deep at Augustana, and they have yielded branches and blooms that benefit many.
Under your leadership, the Swenson Center has developed an international reputation for its rich Swedish-American archives and scholarly contribution to Swedish-American studies. Your own scholarly work pushes us to ponder questions of identity from the perspective of past, present, and future. Your contributions are global, as you have presented your academic work in a dozen different countries and have brought countless international researchers, writers, and thinkers to our campus to ponder TransAtlantic connections.
You are of two families – one at Uppsala University and one at Augustana College. Due in large part to your years of patient persistence, those families are now blending, learning from each other, and strengthening one another.
It is evident that your experience as a young international student at our small liberal arts college on the shores of the Mississippi shaped you personally and professionally in profound ways. In return, you continually find ways to shape Augustana College through your decades-long passion and commitment.
May this honorific title demonstrate our deep gratitude."