Gustavus Adolphus College

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Mergefrom.svg
 It has been suggested that Christ Chapel be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)
Gustavus Adolphus College
Old Main at Gustavus Adolphus College
Motto E Caelo Nobis Vires (Latin, "Our Strength Comes From Heaven")[1]
Established 1862
Type Private liberal arts
Endowment $119.5 million
President Jack R. Ohle
Faculty 170 full-time, 94% tenure-track faculty. 13:1 student/faculty ratio. Average class size 17.
Students Approximately 2,600
Location St. Peter
Campus 1.38 square kilometres (340 acres)
Colors Black and Gold
Nickname "Golden Gusties"
Mascot "Gus," the Lion
Affiliations MIAC, ELCA
Website gustavus.edu

Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in St. Peter, Minnesota, United States. It is a coeducational, four-year, residential institution that was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans. To this day the school closely identifies with its Swedish heritage, which has motivated the institution to develop a Scandinavian Studies program and ties to the Nobel Foundation. The premier event on campus is the Nobel Conference, which features Nobel-Prize-winning speakers and other world-renowned scholars explaining their expertise to a general audience.

Contents

[edit] Mission and values

The college presents its mission as tied to the fact that it “is a church-related, residential liberal arts college firmly rooted in its Swedish and Lutheran heritage.” While the institution offers many majors, the school also presents itself as a place where “students are encouraged to work toward a just and peaceful world.” Many students are involved in volunteer work, and service learning is integrated into many of the courses on campus. Through such techniques, the institution realizes its self-stated core values of (1) Excellence, (2) Community, (3) Justice, (4) Service, and (5) Faith. [2]

[edit] History

[edit] Founding

View of the campus in c. 1905

The college was founded in 1862 as a Lutheran parochial school at Red Wing by Eric Norelius, pastor. Originally named Minnesota Elementar Skola (elementary school in Swedish), it moved the following year to East Union, an unincorporated town in Dahlgren Township. In 1865, on the 1,000th year anniversary of the death of St. Ansgar, known as the "Apostle of the North", the institution was renamed and incorporated as St. Ansgar's Academy.

[edit] Renaming

In May 1873, the college was renamed Gustavus Adolphus Literary & Theological Institute in honor of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. On October 16, 1876, it opened as Gustavus Adolphus College at the current location, enticed to relocate to St. Peter by its offer of $10,000 and a large campus. Gustavus is the oldest of several Lutheran colleges in Minnesota. It was founded as a college of the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church. In 1962 it became a college of the Lutheran Church in America, when the Augustana Synod merged into that body. The Lutheran Church in American merged in 1988 to create the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

[edit] Founding of the Nobel Conference

The annual Nobel Conference was established in the mid-1960s when College officials asked the Nobel Foundation for permission to name the new science building the Alfred Nobel Hall of Science as a memorial to the great Swedish inventor, Alfred Nobel. Permission was granted, and the facility's dedication ceremony in 1963 included officials from the Nobel Foundation as well as 26 Nobel Laureates. Following the 1963 Nobel Prize ceremonies in Stockholm, College representatives met with Nobel Foundation officials, asking them to endorse an annual science conference at the College and to allow use of the Nobel name to establish credibility and high standards. At the urging of several prominent Nobel laureates, the foundation granted the request, and the first conference was held at the College in January 1965.

[edit] Presidents of the College

  • Eric Norelius, 1862-63, Founder
  • Andrew Jackson, principal 1863-73, acting principal 1874-76
  • John J. Frodeen, principal 1873-74
  • Jonas P. Nyquist, 1876-81
  • Matthias Wahlstrom, 1881-1904
  • Peter A. Mattson, 1904-11
  • Jacob P. Uhler, acting president 1911-1913, 1927
  • Oscar J. "O.J." Johnson, 1913-42
  • Walter Lunden, 1942-43
  • O.A. Winfield, acting president 1943-44
  • Edgar M. Carlson, 1944-1968
  • Albert Swanson, acting president 1968-69
  • Frank Barth, 1968-75
  • Edward A. Lindell, 1975-80
  • Abner W. Arthur, acting president 1980-81
  • John S. Kendall, 1981-91
  • Axel D. Steuer, 1991-2002
  • Dennis J. Johnson, interim president 2002-03
  • James L. Peterson, 2003-08
  • Jack R. Ohle, 2008-

[edit] Current Administrative Tension

On July 1, 2008, Jack Ohle was officially sworn in as president of the college. In the subsequent ten months, many of the College’s highest-ranking administrators resigned, including the Provost, two Academic Deans and the Dean of Students. As an explanation, the Academic Deans were quoted as saying that they felt a "lack of presidential support" under Ohle.[3] The faculty formed a committee to review Ohle's performance, but the College's Board of Trustees responded that the faculty had no authority to do so, and suggested that as a result any defamation claims against faculty might involve personal liability. In response some faculty took out liability insurance.[3]

[edit] Academics

A bust of Gustav II Adolf of Sweden on campus

Gustavus is currently ranked among the best 100 national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report. Gustavus moved up eight places from 88th to 80th in the 2009 rankings that were released on August 20. Gustavus students choose from over 70 programs of study with 75 majors in 24 academic departments and 3 interdisciplinary programs (including 14 honors majors), ranging from physics to religion to Scandinavian studies. The College's Writing Across the Curriculum program fosters strong writing skills in all academic disciplines. Since 1983, Gustavus has had a chapter of the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa. Gustavus is also noted for Curriculum II, its distinctive, interdisciplinary general education program. Recently the college instituted a test-optional admission policy, making it the first private college in Minnesota to forego the ACT/SAT score requirement on its application.

[edit] Campus

The Gustavus campus features state-of-the-art science facilities, several computer and language labs, and a large, new dining facility which has improved the cafeteria food from that endured by previous generations of students. The College's majestic Christ Chapel, which seats 1500 people, stands in the center of campus. Gustavus' first building in St. Peter, affectionately known as "Old Main", originally housed the entire college. Major renovations to the building, such as the addition of an elevator, have recently been completed. The campus is well-landscaped with every tree indigenous to Minnesota in the Linnaeus Arboretum and it is further graced by 33 remarkable sculptures by the late, well-known, Minnesota sculptor, Paul Granlund — an alumnus of the College who for many years was sculptor-in-residence. The campus has over 320 million dollars worth of vegetation gracing the Linnaeus Arboretum and campus.

[edit] Attractions

Christ Chapel, built in 1959-1961

[edit] Campus life

The vast majority of Gustavus' 2,600 students ("Gusties") live in residence at the College, in traditional dormitories, College-owned houses, and theme areas, such as the Carlson International Center, PLEDGE substance-free housing, and the Swedish House. Campus life is enhanced by the many musical ensembles which perform throughout the year, including the Gustavus Choir, the Choir of Christ Chapel, the Lucia Singers, the Gustavus Adolphus Symphony Orchestra, Gustavus Wind Orchestra, Jazz Band, etc. Theater is another part of "Gustie Life" with shows every fall and spring and a musical every other year. There are also two art galleries on campus, the Hillstrom Museum of Art and the Schaefer Art Gallery. Gustavus is also home to a nationally recognized dining service that includes the college's cafeteria, the Market Place. The Princeton Review ranked Gustavus 8th in its "Best Campus Food" category for 2009.

[edit] Notable alumni

"Old Main" – the school relocated from East Union upon completion of this building in 1876
See also Category:Gustavus Adolphus College alumni

[edit] Disasters

  • On January 8, 1970, the Auditorium was completely gutted by a fire.
  • On March 29, 1998, the College's campus was hit by a mile-wide F3 tornado that broke 80 percent of the windows, leveled nearly 2,000 trees, toppled the chapel's spire, and caused more than $50 million in damages. This event is considered to be one of the most expensive college disasters in history. Amazingly, there was only one death (not a Gustavus student), despite the tornado's widespread path; this is due, most likely, to the fact that most of the college was on spring break at the time of the tornado. Hundreds of volunteers worked extremely hard to get the campus back into a condition where the students could return after a three-week hiatus. Still, students were forced to attend some classes in FEMA trailers as some on-campus buildings were too severely damaged.

[edit] Athletics

Gustavus is a member of the MIAC and is well-known for excellence in both men's and women's tennis. Other key sports at the College are swimming, golf, and soccer. Gustavus has had three players drafted in the NFL Draft. They are Russ Buckley in the nineteeth round to the Chicago Cardinals in 1940, Kurt Ploeger in the sixth round to the Dallas Cowboys in 1985. The school's team name is the Golden Gusties with their mascot a Lion given that Gustavus Adolphus was known as "The Lion of the North." Professional tennis player Eric Butorac has established himself on the tour as a doubles player.

[edit] Varsity sports

[edit] Men's

[edit] Women's

[edit] Performance

The Gustavus women's softball team placed third in the NCAA Division III national tournament in 2009. The Gustavus men's hockey team placed second in the NCAA Division III national tournament in 2009. The Gustavus soccer team finished second in the NCAA Division III national tournament in 2005 — lead in part by three-time all American Robert "Bobby" Kroog. Also, in 2003 the Gustavus men's basketball team finished second in the NCAA Division III national tournament in Salem, Virginia, losing by only 2 points. Recently, The Gustavus football team became well known in the middle part of the century thanks to long-time coach/AD Moose Malmquist. Jon Carlson coached both the men's and women's swim teams to top 10 finishes at NCAA Division III Nationals. In 2008, the men's and women's teams finished first in the conference. In addition, the women's hockey team, coached by Mike Carroll, is consistently strong, and has placed third and fourth at the last two NCAA national tournaments. The men's team made it to the 2009 NCAA final.

[edit] Directors' Cup

Gustavus placed 8th in the 2008-09 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings. The Directors' Cup is the only all-sports competition in intercollegiate athletics. In Division III, standings are based on national tournament finishes in 18 different sports. In 2002-03 Gustavus placed a school-best sixth in the Directors' Cup standings.

[edit] Campus media

Gustavus Adolphus College is home to several publications and broadcasters.

  • The campus newspaper, The Gustavian Weekly, is the oldest media outlet having first published in 1891. The publication which is entirely student written and produced features articles and opinions about events and issues on campus and beyond.
  • Firethorne is an arts and literary magazine that is published twice per year. Students are encouraged to submit short stories, poetry, creative nonfiction, photography, visual art, or other creative content.
  • KGSM is a radio station run entirely by students. The station is webcast only and recently upgraded its studio to improve the quality of its webstream and a digital audio workstation. The station hopes to include a weekly campus newscast among its collection of podcasts.
  • The third and newest campus media outlet is GAC TV. Started by an enterprising group of students looking to bring the power and versatility of television broadcasting to campus, GAC TV became an instant success when students started watching the weekly show before free on-campus films.
  • The Gustavian Yearbook publishes a yearbook for each class.
  • TV broadcasts from Gustavus are released over Internet II.
  • An alumni magazine, the Gustavus Quarterly, features articles of interest to graduates.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://gustavus.edu/publications/style/seal.cfm
  2. ^ http://gustavus.edu/president/vision.php http://gustavus.edu/communityservice/introduction.php
  3. ^ a b "Suit of Armor", InsideHigherEd, May 29, 2009, http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/05/29/gustavus 

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 44°19′25″N 93°58′18″W / 44.3235555°N 93.971738°W / 44.3235555; -93.971738

v • d • e
Colleges and universities in Minnesota
Public institutions
Private institutions
Community/Technical Colleges
v • d • e
Colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Augsburg • Augustana (IL) • Augustana (SD) • Bethany • California Lutheran • Capital • Carthage • Concordia (MN) • Dana • Finlandia • Gettysburg • Grand View • Gustavus Adolphus • Lenoir-Rhyne • Luther (IA) • Midland • Muhlenberg • Newberry • Pacific Lutheran • Roanoke • St. Olaf • Susquehanna • Texas Lutheran • Thiel • Wagner • Wartburg • Wittenberg
Lutheranism portal
v • d • e
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
v • d • e
Annapolis Group

Chair: Katherine Haley Will
Agnes Scott • Albion • Albright • Allegheny • Alma • Amherst • Augustana • Austin • Bard • Barnard • Bates • Bennington • Berea • Berry • Birmingham-Southern • Bowdoin • Bryn Mawr • Bucknell • Carleton • Centre • Chatham • Claremont McKenna • Coe • Colby • Colgate • Saint Benedict • Colorado • Connecticut • Cornell • Davidson • Denison • DePauw • Dickinson • Drew • Earlham • Eckerd • Franklin & Marshall • Furman • Gettysburg • Gordon • Goucher • Grinnell • Gustavus Adolphus • Hamilton • Hampden-Sydney • Hampshire • Harvey Mudd • Haverford • Hendrix • Hiram • Hobart & William Smith • Hollins • Holy Cross • Hope • Illinois Wesleyan • Juniata • Kalamazoo • Kenyon • Knox • Lafayette • Lake Forest • Lawrence • Lewis & Clark • Luther • Macalester • Manhattan • McDaniel • Middlebury • Millsaps • Monmouth • Moravian • Morehouse • Mount Holyoke • Muhlenberg • Nebraska Wesleyan • Oberlin • Occidental • Oglethorpe • Ohio Wesleyan • Pitzer • Pomona • Presbyterian • Puget Sound • Randolph-Macon • Randolph • Reed • Rhodes • Ripon • Rollins • St. Benedict and St. John's • St. John's • St. Lawrence • St. Olaf • Salem • Sarah Lawrence • Scripps • Sewanee • Skidmore • Smith • Southwestern • Spelman • Swarthmore • Sweet Briar • Transylvania • Trinity College • Trinity University • Union • Ursinus • Vassar • Wabash • Washington • Washington & Jefferson • Washington & Lee • Wellesley • Wesleyan College • Wesleyan University • Westmont • Wheaton • Whitman • Whittier • Willamette • William Jewell • Williams • Wittenberg • Wooster
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustavus_Adolphus_College"
Languages