Concordia College (Moorhead, Minnesota) Explained

Concordia College
Former Name:Concordia Academy (1891–1927)
Motto:Soli Deo Gloria
Mottoeng:"Glory to God Alone"
Type:Private liberal arts college
Religious Affiliation:Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Endowment:$156.6 million (2020)[1]
Budget:$117.8 million (2016)[2]
President:Colin Irvine
Dean:Susan Larson
Faculty:248[3]
Administrative Staff:400+[4]
Students:1,903 (1,827 undergraduate) (Fall 2023) [5]
City:Moorhead, Minnesota
Country:U.S.
Coordinates:46.8653°N -96.77°W
Campus:Urban, 113acres[6]
Athletics Affiliations:NCAA Division III – MIAC
Colors: Maroon & Gold
Sports Nickname:Cobbers
Mascot:Kernel Cobb
Academic Affiliations:NAICU,[7] Space-grant

Concordia College is a private liberal arts college in Moorhead, Minnesota. Founded by Norwegian settlers in 1891, the school is associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is unrelated to the Concordia University System operated by the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Concordia is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and has a total student enrollment of 1,800. It offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Education, and Master of Science, and Master of Music Education degrees.

Since Concordia was founded, it has articulated a Christian and global curriculum. Students are required to take courses in health, communication, religion, and culture. The college maintains athletic teams in 22 sports and carries 20 music ensembles, including The Concordia Orchestra, The Concordia Band, and The Concordia Choir.

History

Concordia College was dedicated as a private academy on October 31, 1891, by a group of approximately one dozen Norwegian pastors and laymen[8] who had recently settled in the Red River Valley. The school was founded on the property of the former Episcopalian Bishop Whipple School, which had closed in 1887.[9] English professor Ingebrikt Grose of St. Olaf College was asked to preside over the academy,[10] which at that time offered mixed-sex education in English literature, natural sciences, mathematics, piano, and organ.[11] The school opened with three faculty and twelve students.[12]

In 1892, Rasmus Bogstad, a Norwegian pastor, raised funds to build a male dormitory on campus grounds. His efforts led to the construction of Academy Hall.[13] In 1893, Grose resigned and recently hired business professor Hans Aaker took his place.[14] Aaker became mayor of Moorhead in 1900 and left two years later when that job compromised his dedication to the school.[15] Bogstad was appointed Concordia's next president and established its liberal tradition.[16] Under Bogstad, Concordia constructed a new academic building, now called Old Main.[17]

Henry O. Shurson held the presidency after Bogstad resigned in 1910 until Johan A. Aasgaard was appointed in 1911.[10] Under Aasgaard, the nearby Park Region College and Bruflat Academy were merged with Concordia,[18] and a new library was built in what is now called Grose Hall.[19] In 1925, John N. Brown became president and oversaw Concordia's accreditation by the North Central Association in 1927.[20] Eleven years later, a female dormitory was built, named Fjelstad Hall,[21] and in 1947, a male dormitory was built, later called Brown Hall.[22]

Joseph "Prexy Joe" Knutson became president in 1951, and presided over the construction of 16 buildings and the increase in enrollment to 1592 students.[23] Under his leadership, the Concordia Annual Fund, which continues today, was established to raise money for the college's interests.[24] Paul J. Dovre took the presidency in 1975[10] and oversaw new college programs and articulated Concordia's Lutheran mission.[25] In 1991, Concordia's Speech Team placed 4th in the nation at the AFA-NIET, beating schools with twenty times their enrolment.[26]

In 1999, the college welcomed President Thomas W. Thomsen, who implemented the design for a new campus center; in 2004 Pamela M. Jolicoeur, who established plans for the college's Offutt School of Business, was appointed the first female President.[27] Construction on the Offutt School of Business was completed in late 2012, and hosted students in the fall semester of 2013. William Craft began as president in 2011 and served until June 30, 2023. Today, the college is led by Colin Irvine.[28]

Academics

Concordia is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.[29] [30] It enrolls over 1,800 students[31] and offers 61 majors and 12 pre-professional programs.[32] Master of Education degrees are offered,[33] and the most popular majors are business, education, and communication.[6]

The college upholds a curriculum that centers on a Christian and global perspective.[34] Affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Concordia practices the liberal arts from the Lutheran theological tradition.[35] [36] Faculty are encouraged to retain Becoming Responsibly Engaged in the World (BREW) as a thematic focus in their instructions.[37] The college operates by a semester calendar[6] and first-year students are required to take courses in health, communication, religion, and culture.[38] An honors program is offered for motivated students.[39]

Concordia is included in the Open Doors survey of the top twenty baccalaureate institutions that send students abroad. The college offers four global education programs[40] and offers instruction in nine languages.[41] Moreover, students are permitted to study at two neighboring universities, Minnesota State University Moorhead and North Dakota State University, for course credit to their degrees.[42]

In July 2023, Concordia opened the Heimarck Center, an experiential learning facility for the Sanford Heimarck School of Health Professions.[43]

Student life

Music

The college maintains three choirs, four bands, two orchestras, three jazz ensembles, two percussion ensembles, and two handbell choirs.[44] Music education began with the college's 1891 formation, when piano and organ lessons were taught by one instructor. The college has since expanded to include a music department of 45 faculty that offers five Bachelor of Music degrees and two Bachelor of Arts degrees.[45] The Concordia Choir is a 78-member mixed choir that travels internationally and has performed at major performance venues, including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.[46] The choir was founded in 1919 by the college's voice instructor and began touring in 1923 under the direction of Herman Monson.[47] The choir grew to national prominence in the following decades when Paul J. Christiansen became the director.[48] Christiansen remained in the position for 49 years[49] until composer René Clausen took over in 1986.[50] Under Clausen, The Concordia Choir has released numerous recordings and has performed with the King's Singers.[46] He was succeeded in 2020 by Michael Culloton.

The college has put on an annual Christmas concert since 1927 that remains a tradition of the local community.[51] From its inception, it has featured the music department's choirs and orchestra.[51] In 1940, Christianson began working with painter Cyrus M. Running to incorporate murals with the concert to reflect the music's themes.[52] Running completed the designs until 1978, when their development was taken over by David J. Hetland,[51] whose murals have traditionally extended .[53] After Hetland's 2006 death, mural designs were taken over by artist Paul Johnson.[51] The concert is currently performed four times annually on Concordia's campus and twice annually at Orchestra Hall.[54] Over 450 students perform[55] for an audience of twenty thousand,[56] and the concert is broadcast on radio and television.[51] The 2009 concert, Journey to Bethlehem, was recorded by Twin Cities Public Television and won a regional Emmy.[57] It was broadcast nationally by members of the Public Broadcasting Service.

Athletics

Concordia–Moorhead athletic teams are the Cobbers. The college is a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) since the 1921–22 academic year.[58]

Concordia–Moorhead competes in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports, in which more than 800 students participate.[59] Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, soccer, tennis, track & field, and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.

Origins

Athletics began when a baseball club was organized in 1903[60] and a basketball team was formed after the construction of a gymnasium in 1907.[61] Football emerged in 1916 and Concordia joined the MIAC in 1920.[62] Soon after, teams for tennis, golf, wrestling, softball, volleyball, track, cross country running and others were formed.[63]

Athletics grew further when Jake Christiansen, brother of conductor Paul J. Christiansen, was appointed physical education director in 1941.[64] He coached the football team to five conference championships over his 28-year career.[65] In 1952, Christiansen designed a new athletic facility[61] that promoted the college's reputation in the region.[66] One of Christiansen's former students, Jim Christopherson, took over coaching in 1969 and led the team to nine conference titles and two national championships.[67] Both coaches have been inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame.[61]

The 1982 Concordia–Moorhead women's basketball team defeated Mount Mercy, 73–72, to capture the Cobbers' first AIAW Division III national championship. The Cobbers defeated St. John Fisher in the 1988 NCAA Division III championship game, 65–57, to claim the Cobbers' first NCAA national title.

Notable faculty

Notable faculty include:

Notable alumni

Academia

Business

Entertainment

Government

Journalism

Military

Music

Science

Sports

Theology

References

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 . . February 19, 2021 . February 20, 2021.
  2. Web site: Kennedy. Patrick. Minnesota Nonprofit 100. StarTribune News. Minneapolis StarTribune. 16 December 2017.
  3. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. – Concordia at a Glance . Cord.edu . September 29, 2011 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://archive.today/20121212021616/http://www.cord.edu/About/ataglance1.php . December 12, 2012 . mdy-all .
  4. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. – Employment at Concordia . Cord.edu . August 9, 2011 . October 17, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130525072216/http://www.cord.edu/About/employment.php . May 25, 2013 . dead .
  5. Web site: College Navigator - Concordia College at Moorhead .
  6. Web site: Concordia College | Concordia College-Moorhead | Best College | US News . Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com . January 15, 2012 . February 7, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110207152122/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/moorhead-mn/concordia-college-2346 . dead .
  7. http://www.naicu.edu/member_center/members.asp NAICU – Member Directory
  8. Englehardt, 16.
  9. Englehardt, 22.
  10. Web site: Presidential History . Cord.edu . January 12, 2012 . dead . https://archive.today/20121214153426/http://www.cord.edu/About/president/history.php . December 14, 2012 . mdy-all .
  11. Rolfsrud, 19-20.
  12. Englehardt, 25.
  13. Englehardt, 28.
  14. Englehardt, 32.
  15. Rolfsrud, 42-43.
  16. Englehardt, 43.
  17. Englehardt, 52.
  18. Englehardt, 60-61.
  19. Englehardt, 75.
  20. Englehardt, 104.
  21. Englehardt, 128.
  22. Rolfsrud, 115-116.
  23. Englehardt, 288.
  24. Web site: C-400 History . https://web.archive.org/web/20090108213450/http://www.cord.edu/Giving/Waystogive/annualgiving/history1.php . dead . January 8, 2009 . Cord.edu . January 12, 2012 .
  25. Englehardt, 300.
  26. Web site: AFA-NST - 1991 . 2024-04-25 . sites.google.com . en-US.
  27. Web site: Concordia Presidents . 2024-04-25 . CONCORDIA COLLEGE ARCHIVES . en.
  28. Web site: President William J. Craft . Cord.edu . January 12, 2012.
  29. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. – Accreditation . Cord.edu . June 2, 2011 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://archive.today/20120729183815/http://www.cord.edu/About/ataglance/accreditation.php . July 29, 2012 . mdy-all .
  30. Web site: Concordia College. NCAHLC.org. The Higher Learning Commission. 19 August 2012.
  31. Web site: July 24, 2024 . Concordia College -- Moorhead . live . July 24, 2024 . U.S. News.
  32. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. – Majors and Minors . Cord.edu . August 25, 2011 . October 17, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111030031526/http://www.cord.edu/Academics/majors.php . October 30, 2011 . dead .
  33. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. – Degree and Graduation Requirements . Cord.edu . June 2, 2011 . October 17, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927034209/http://www.cord.edu/Academics/Catalog/graduation_req.php . September 27, 2011 . dead .
  34. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. – Intellect and Faith . Cord.edu . August 11, 2011 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071027124252/http://www.cord.edu/Academics/intellect.php . October 27, 2007 . mdy-all .
  35. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. – Concordia College's Mission . Cord.edu . June 2, 2011 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100527105959/http://www.cord.edu/About/mission.php . May 27, 2010 . mdy-all .
  36. Web site: Concordia College. ELCA.org. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 19 August 2012.
  37. Book: Making BREW Matter. 2010. Concordia College. Moorhead. iii. Dawn Duncan & Gregg Muilenburg.
  38. Web site: BECOMING RESPONSIBLY ENGAGED IN THE WORLD — The Concordia College Core Curriculum. Concordia College . October 17, 2011.
  39. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. – Credo Honors Program . Cord.edu . June 2, 2011 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://archive.today/20120804221907/http://www.cord.edu/Academics/Credo/index.php . August 4, 2012 . mdy-all .
  40. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. – Office of Global Education . Cord.edu . October 4, 2011 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100323054823/http://www.cord.edu/Offices/global1.php . March 23, 2010 . mdy-all .
  41. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. – Global Engagement at Concordia . Cord.edu . August 11, 2011 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://archive.today/20120723172833/http://www.cord.edu/Academics/global1.php . July 23, 2012 . mdy-all .
  42. Web site: Tri-College University: About TCU . Tri-college.org . February 15, 2011 . October 17, 2011.
  43. Web site: Construction Completed on the Heimarck Center: Transforming Health Professions Education . 2024-07-24 . Concordia College . en.
  44. http://www.cord.edu/Music/Department/courses.php Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. - Department Courses
  45. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn . Cord.edu . October 10, 2011 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080520020504/http://www.cord.edu/Music/department1.php . May 20, 2008 . mdy-all .
  46. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn . Cord.edu . September 11, 2011 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080613234603/http://www.cord.edu/Music/Ensembles/Choirs/choir1.php . June 13, 2008 . mdy-all .
  47. Englehardt, 86.
  48. Englehardt, 127.
  49. Web site: Christmas at Concordia from American Public Media . Americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111002090223/http://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/programs/concordia_xmas/about/ . October 2, 2011 . mdy-all .
  50. Web site: Rene Clausen Biography . Reneclausen.com . October 17, 2011.
  51. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn . Cord.edu . September 19, 2011 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071101000553/http://www.cord.edu/Music/Christmas/history.php . November 1, 2007 . mdy-all .
  52. Book: Hetland, David J.. On Our Way Rejoicing. 1999. Concordia College. Moorhead, Minn.. 19–20.
  53. Web site: David Hetland, liturgical artist, dies . The Lutheran . January 1, 1980 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210443/http://www.thelutheran.org/article/article.cfm?article_id=5928 . September 27, 2007 . mdy-all .
  54. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. – Christmas Concert dates and ticket information . Cord.edu . October 10, 2011 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080520035922/http://www.cord.edu/Music/christmas1.php . May 20, 2008 . mdy-all .
  55. Web site: Christmas at Concordia from American Public Media . Americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111015043306/http://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/programs/concordia_xmas/ . October 15, 2011 . mdy .
  56. Web site: Story by Erin Hemme Froslie . Joy and wonder: David Hetland's murals color Concordia's Christmas concerts with hope and healing . The Lutheran . January 1, 1980 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210415/http://www.thelutheran.org/article/article.cfm?article_id=4336&key=18800894 . September 27, 2007 . mdy-all .
  57. Web site: Laura Kaslow / November 27, 2010 . 2010 Concordia College Christmas Concert honors former president, celebrates Clausen's 25th year as director . Metro Lutheran . November 27, 2010 . October 17, 2011.
  58. Web site: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – The MIAC Story: Collegiate Athletics at its Best . Miac-online.org . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927062817/http://www.miac-online.org/sports/2007/7/26/about_miac.aspx?tab=aboutthemiac . September 27, 2011 . mdy-all .
  59. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. – About . Cord.edu . October 12, 2010 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101108074902/http://www.cord.edu/Athletics/about1.php . November 8, 2010 . mdy-all .
  60. Englehardt, 47.
  61. Web site: Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. – Athletic History . Cord.edu . October 12, 2010 . October 17, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120318061945/http://www.cord.edu/Athletics/about/athletic_tradition/athletic_history.php . March 18, 2012 . mdy-all .
  62. Englehardt, 87.
  63. Englehardt, 143.
  64. Rolfsrud, 210.
  65. Englehardt, 261.
  66. Englehardt, 195-196.
  67. Englehardt, 353.
  68. HAROLD BRACKMAN, Jerusalem Post, May 16, 2013, https://www.jpost.com/magazine/opinion/black-jewish-relations-at-a-crossroads-313374
  69. Education: Black Studies: A Painful Birth . . 26 January 1970.
  70. "President of Montana State Dies of Apparent Heart Attack." Associated Press. June 19, 1969.
  71. Web site: 2023-03-24 . Biden awards medal to Concordia College grad at White House ceremony . 2024-06-11 . InForum . en.
  72. Casey Selix, Kaiser CEO George Halvorson unearths an unusual past in Concordia College commencement speech, MNPOST, June 1, 2010/
  73. IMDb, Kam Heskin Biography
  74. Marc Myers, ‘White House Plumbers’ Co-Star Rich Sommer Found Fame on Local TV, The Wall Street Journal, May 9, 2023
  75. Web site: Cynthia L. Bauerly Official Biography . 2009-05-05 . Federal Election Commission . https://web.archive.org/web/20090513040011/http://www.fec.gov/members/bauerly/bauerly_bio.shtml . 2009-05-13 . dead .
  76. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/H000071
  77. https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/25/obituaries/gabriel-hauge-banker-dies-was-an-adviser-to-presidents.html "Gabriel Hauge, Banker, dies; was an Adviser to Presidents"
  78. Concordia College, Clint Hill to Receive North Dakota Rough Rider Award, October 5, 2018
  79. Federal Judicial Center, Hovland, Daniel L., https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391666
  80. Web site: Guests from Two Continents . The Gettysburg Times . 5 September 1970 . 2010-04-03.
  81. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=K000300 Coya Knutson
  82. https://www.history.nd.gov/exhibits/governors/governors18.html State Historical Society of North Dakota
  83. Wolfgang Saxon, Sidney Rand, 87, President Of College and Ambassador, The New York Times, December 24, 2003
  84. Nicole M. Moen, THE FEDERAL LAWYER December 2015, p. 35
  85. https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/00336000014TiuVAAS/alan-bjerga Georgetown University Directory
  86. CBS News, Roxana Saberi, January 16, 2018
  87. News: WWII ace hailed from North Dakota . Curt . Eriksmoen . . October 19, 2014 . October 14, 2023.
  88. Naval Hospital Long Beach Decommissioning Ceremony,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Naval_Hospital_Long_Beach_Decommissioning_Ceremony_%28IA_NavalHospitalLongBeachDecommissioiningCeremony%29.pdf
  89. Francisco Salazar, Obituary: Soprano Karan Armstrong Dies at 79, Opera Wire, October 5, 2021/
  90. Web site: Archived copy . 2012-02-11 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120212220223/http://www.wolf.org/wolves/news/iwmag/2002/summer/research.pdf . February 12, 2012 . mdy-all . A Brief History of Wolf Research, Steve Grooms, International Wolf, Summer, 2002, Volume 21, No. 2, p. 9
  91. Encyclopedia: Johnson . L. R. . Ernest Omar Wollan . http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1527 . Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture .
  92. Kevin Schnepf, Where are they now?: Bennett set to make return to Concordia, INFORUM, October 07, 2010
  93. Web site: 2024-05-24 . Willmar graduate is now Hall of Fame coach - West Central Tribune News, weather, sports from Willmar Minnesota . 2024-05-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240524215446/https://www.wctrib.com/sports/willmar-graduate-is-now-hall-of-fame-coach . May 24, 2024 .
  94. Multi-Language Publications Newsletter Bringing the Written Word to the World. Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. March 2003 p. 2-3 Reu Beck "The Life and Work of Dr. William F. Beck" pdf
  95. Star Tribune, Obituary: Marcus Borg, Christian scholar, January 27, 2015

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Concordia College (Moorhead, Minnesota)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.