CGE hires inaugural director
Augustana has named Christina Sanchez as the inaugural director of the De and Dave Knudson Center for Global Engagement (CGE) following a national search for the position. Sanchez has worked in higher education and international programs for over 20 years and will begin her new position in early November.
The appointment is a significant step in the transition from the International Programs Office into a more comprehensive center supported by an additional $1 million in fundraising. According to the September 2024 proposal to establish the CGE, the changes aim to make the center “the heart of intercultural exchange in the region.”
In an announcement to faculty, Provost Joel Johnson said Sanchez’s “expertise will be instrumental in helping us expand opportunities for faculty and students to engage with the world.”
Erin Kane, director of the study away program, said Sanchez will provide a “bird’s-eye view” of the university's internationalization efforts. Kane also noted that Sanchez’s experience at California Lutheran University, a fellow ELCA institution, means that she will have less of a learning curve adjusting to Augustana’s campus culture than other candidates might have.
“The one thing that kind of sets [Sanchez] apart is she really matched our philosophy of that kind of wrap-around advising style,” Kane said. “She’s able to kind of think about the person as a whole.”
According to the CGE’s proposal, the center is guided by three principles: inclusion, access and transformational learning. The center aims to build on Augustana’s growing international reach, which included a record 250 international students last year and saw half of all students study away before graduation.
For students, one of the most immediate impacts will be financial. Kane confirmed that the new funding will make a larger pool of endowed scholarship money available for study-away opportunities starting next academic year.
These endowed scholarships will be in addition to new awards from the Augustana Student Association (ASA). The ASA Curriculum Committee’s “World Bound Apprenticeship” will offer $7,000 in scholarships for spring break study-away trips: need-based awards of $3,000 and $2,000, and two $1,000 merit-based awards.
Student workers from the CGE were also included in the interview process. Junior Melissa Avelino dos Santos and senior Amina Koch attended a lunch with Sanchez where they were able to ask her questions.
Koch said she is excited for Sanchez to join the CGE because of her “impressive balance of experience, vision and genuine enthusiasm.”
“In an hour of speaking with her, I was very impressed by her eloquence and personability,” Koch said.
Avelino dos Santos shared this impression, recalling a moment during the lunch when Sanchez asked for their ideas on how to improve the connection between domestic and international students. That particular question stood out to Avelino dos Santos, who said it was important because it acknowledged a social divide on campus that she feels is often ignored.
“She was really open and really nice to everyone, so I think she’s gonna be a good one for us,” Avelino dos Santos said.
Koch agreed.
“I got the sense that she truly cares about working with students and cultivating a positive environment — not just for international and study-away students, but for the entire Augustana community,” Koch said.
The university plans to host opportunities for the campus community to meet Sanchez after her arrival in November.
