St. Olaf College: Difference between revisions
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== Athletics == |
== Athletics == |
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St. Olaf College is a member of the [[Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]] (MIAC). St. Olaf is a traditional athletic and academic rival of its neighbor across town, [[Carleton College]]. The college song, Um |
St. Olaf College is a member of the [[Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]] (MIAC). St. Olaf is a traditional athletic and academic rival of its neighbor across town, [[Carleton College]]. The college song, Um Ya Ya, is in 3/4 time and has the following lyrics: |
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"We come from St. Olaf, we sure are the real stuff. |
"We come from St. Olaf, we sure are the real stuff. |
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Our team is the cream of the colleges |
Our team is the cream of the colleges crop. |
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We fight fast and furious, our team is injurious. |
We fight fast and furious, our team is injurious. |
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Tonight Carleton College will sure meet its fate. |
Tonight Carleton College will sure meet its fate. |
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Um! |
7x Um! Ya! Ya!!" |
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==Notable Alumni== |
==Notable Alumni== |
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* [[Ole Rolvaag]], Author, Professor |
* [[Ole Rolvaag]], Author, Professor |
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Revision as of 23:05, 3 November 2005
St. Olaf College
| Established | 1874 |
|---|---|
| President | Christopher M. Thomforde |
| Motto | Fram! Fram! Kristmenn, Krossmen (Norwegian for "Forward! Forward! Men of Christ, Men of the Cross") |
| School type | Private |
| Location | Northfield, Minnesota, United States of America |
| Enrollment | Approximately 2,900 |
| Central Campus Size | 345 acres (1.4 km²) |
| Web site | www.stolaf.edu |
St. Olaf College was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus, as a coeducational, residential, four-year private liberal arts college and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Academics
St. Olaf enrolls nearly 3,000 students, and its academic divisions provide offer 45 graduation majors, including 10 teaching certifications, 20 concentrations and 20 pre-professional fields. This college offers pre-professional preparation in architecture, dentistry, engineering, law, medicine, pharmacy, social work, theology, and veterinary medicine. The student/faculty ratio is 12:1, and most classes have an average enrollment of 21.
St. Olaf ranks third among liberal arts schools nationally (and 44th overall) in the number of National Merit Scholars, according to the Journal of Higher Education. Five students earned Fulbright Scholarships in 2005, and 19 have received the award in the past 3 years.
According to the National Research Council’s Survey of Earned Doctorates, St. Olaf ranks fifth among bachelor degree colleges in the number of graduates who go on to earn doctoral degrees. (This represents the years 1991–2000.) St. Olaf was also first among baccalaureate colleges in mathematics, first in religion and theology, fifth in chemistry, seventh in foreign languages and sixth in life sciences as an undergraduate supplier of Ph.D.s.
St. Olaf is tied for 16th among small colleges and universities nationally in the number of Peace Corps volunteers produced by the school.
Living at St. Olaf
Most St. Olaf students (95%) reside on the campus located in Northfield, Minnesota, 40 miles (60 km) south of Minneapolis/St. Paul. An important part of living on campus is dorm life. First years live in first year residence halls Kildahl, Kittelsby, Hoyme, Ellingson, and Mohn. Three of the dorms on campus were named after women: Agnes Larson, Agnes Kittelsby, and Agnes Mellby.
Music at St. Olaf
St. Olaf's music program, founded by F. Melius Christiansen in 1903, is renowned. Its band, choir and orchestra tour the continental U.S annually and have made several critically-acclaimed international tours. The St. Olaf Band was the first American college musical organization to conduct a concert tour abroad when it travelled to Norway in 1906. The band is also credited with introducing the saxophone and the game of baseball to Norway. The orchestra was the first college orchestra ever to be a part of the Community Concert series.
The St. Olaf Choir, founded by Christiansen in 1907 as the St. John's Lutheran Church Choir, is regarded as one of the premier a cappella college choirs in the United States. It has toured Europe several times, as well as China, Korea, and Australia, performing before heads of state and producing over a dozen recordings. The choir performs in the nationally-broadcast annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival along with St. Olaf Orchestra and 4 of the college's other choirs.
An important part of St. Olaf's musical tradition is the rivalry of Early Morning Softball. Each ensemble has the opportunity to get up at 6:15 and vent their pent up agression on the other ensembles. For sophomore theory students, this is the only time of year when they emerge from the comfort of the music building couches to face the world. Needless to say, these are usually the best and most committed players, seeking an excuse to skip a morning's listening exercises to see the sun once more.
Athletics
St. Olaf College is a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). St. Olaf is a traditional athletic and academic rival of its neighbor across town, Carleton College. The college song, Um Ya Ya, is in 3/4 time and has the following lyrics:
"We come from St. Olaf, we sure are the real stuff.
Our team is the cream of the colleges crop.
We fight fast and furious, our team is injurious.
Tonight Carleton College will sure meet its fate.
7x Um! Ya! Ya!!"
Notable Alumni
- Ole Rolvaag, Author, Professor
- August Andresen, U.S. Congressman
- Arlen Erdahl, U.S. Congressman
- Harold Hagen, U.S. Congressman
- Chris "Rock" Torstenson, Presidential Advisor
- David Minge, U.S. Congressman
- Mark Olson, Federal Reserve Governor
Miscellaneous
St. Olaf is mentioned in the works of Minnesotan F. Scott Fitzgerald (Jay Gatsby of "The Great Gatsby" attended briefly and worked as a janitor), in Garrison Keillor's radio program "A Prairie Home Companion" and on the television program "The Golden Girls".