Civitas students will be able to apply the "How then shall we live" philosophy to the real world this spring when the first full class graduates on May 21.

The planning for Civitas began in 2005 after the school received a donation, the only stipulation being that it somehow benefited academics.

After looking at honors programs at other schools, the planning committee decided to create a program that would not only make members better students, but better citizens as well.

"Citizenship is not really something that had been broached in an honors program," Civitas director Jeffrey Miller said.

Miller also felt that the mission of Civitas fit within Augustana's Lutheran and liberal arts traditions. The foundation of the program is Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer's essay "The Structure of Responsible Life."

"Civitas is really grounded in what we are," Miller said. "It gave Augustana an identity."

The Civitas curriculum includes eight courses that deal with issues of morality and citizenship like deputyship, pertinence, justice and freedom.

Senior Kate Tobin joined the program in its first year and was excited to be part of something new.

"I was really looking to add more to my Augustana experience, and I thought honors classes were the ticket," Tobin said. "I was excited that this was the first offering of such a program, and it was kind of fun not knowing what was in store for the next four years."

Senior Dani Doran joined in search of a more challenging college experience.

"I was really looking for a program with more academic rigor," Doran said.

One of the aspects Doran liked was the practical approach to learning. For example, in her Reading Augustana class, Doran had the opportunity to go behind the scenes in places like food services and the local power plant to gain different perspectives on the idea of sustainability.

"Civitas translates the world of academia into the real world learning experiences," Doran said.

In keeping with Augustana's liberal arts philosophy, Civitas also seeks to provide interdisciplinary courses. Many of the courses are team-taught by professors from different areas.

"I have really enjoyed the cross-department courses," Tobin said. "I have had so many professors that I would never have had."

"It's interesting to have professors with completely different backgrounds and experiences, but they really supplement and complement each other," Doran said.

Doran has already used her experiences with Civitas toward her future. She presented her senior thesis at the Sigma Tau Delta convention in March and used it while applying to graduate schools.

"Civitas takes values and forces you to go somewhere with them," Doran said. "It's about immediate action and academic rigor."

In the future, Miller sees Civitas expanding.

"I would like to see Civitas students taking more responsibility," Miller said.

Miller would like to increase the service requirement in classes and include more student-run elements.

"I definitely think the program has improved over the last years, but I am still happy with my decision to apply four years ago," Tobin said.