Augsburg University

Norwegian Lutherans founded Augsburg as a seminary . It was named after the Augsburg Confession of 1530, the primary confession of faith presented by Lutherans in Augsburg, Germany , and contained in the Book of Concord of 1580. Augsburg Seminarium opened in September 1869, in Marshall, Wisconsin . Three years later, it moved to Minneapolis , changing its name to The Norwegian Danish Evangelical Lutheran Augsburg Seminary to reflect the name of the church body that sponsored the school. Undergraduate classes began in the fall of 1874, with the first class graduating in 1879. In 1892, the school's name was shortened to Augsburg Seminary . In 1893, reacting to what it deemed overly hierarchical elements in the Norwegian church, Augsburg leaders organized the "Friends of Augsburg", which by 1897 had coalesced to form a new Lutheran denomination, the Lutheran Free Church , a body that flourished for 70 years. During its early years the college and seminary served men only; women were first admitted in 1921. To further expand its mission, a high school level Augsburg Academy was provided on the campus. It closed in 1933. Augsburg Seminary remained the school's name until 1942, when it was officially changed and expanded to Augsburg College and Theological Seminary , a name that had been informally used since the 1910s. When the Lutheran Free Church merged with the much larger American Lutheran Church (ALC) in 1963, Augsburg Seminary merged with the ALC's Luther Theological Seminary, later renamed Luther Seminary . [ 3 ] The name of the remaining undergraduate college became Augsburg College . [ 4 ] In 2017, the name of the school officially became Augsburg University . August Weenaas was Augsburg's first president (1869–1876). Weenaas recruited two teachers from Norway— Sven Oftedal and Georg Sverdrup .

These three men clearly articulated Augsburg's mission: to educate Norwegian Lutherans to minister to immigrants and to provide such "college" studies as would prepare students for theological study. In 1874, they proposed a three-part plan: first, train ministerial candidates; second, prepare future theological students; third, educate the farmer, worker, and businessman. The statement stressed that a good education is also practical. Augsburg's next two presidents also emphatically rejected ivory tower concepts of education. This commitment to church and community has led to Augsburg's theme of over 130 years: Education for Service. Hillary Clinton campaigning at Augsburg, two days before Super Tuesday 2008 Flags fly at Augsburg, during the 25th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum (2013). This seminarian focus began to change after World War I . In 1911, George Sverdrup Jr. became president. He worked to develop college departments with an appeal to a broader range of students than just those intending to be ministers. In 1937, Augsburg elected Bernhard Christensen, an erudite and scholarly teacher, to be president (1938–1962). His involvement in ecumenical and civic circles made Augsburg a more visible part of church and city life. After World War II , Augsburg leaders made vigorous efforts to expand and improve academic offerings. By mid-century, the undergraduate college had become a larger part of the institution than the seminary and received the most attention. As a result, Augsburg steadily added departments essential to a liberal arts college, offering a modern college program based on general education requirements and elective majors.

Augsburg aims to reflect the commitment and dedication of its founders, who believed "an Augsburg education should be preparation for service in community and church" [by] "Providing an education grounded in vocational calling, that provides students both the theoretical learning and the practical experience to succeed in a global, diverse world." [ 5 ] Church affiliations More information Church, Years ... Church Years Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America 1869–1870 Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America 1870–1890 United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America also Friends of Augsburg 1893–1897 1890–1897 Lutheran Free Church 1897–1963 American Lutheran Church 1963–1987 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 1988–present Close

More information Number, Name ... Number Name Years Notes 1st August Weenaas 1869–1876 2nd Georg Sverdrup 1876–1907 3rd Sven Oftedal 1907–1911 4th George Sverdrup 1911–1937 Son of the second president Henry N. Hendrickson 1937–1938 Acting 5th Bernhard M. Christensen 1938–1962 6th Leif S. Harbo 1962–1963 Interim 7th Oscar A. Anderson 1963–1980 8th Charles S. Anderson 1980–1997 Not related to the preceding president 9th William V. Frame 1997–2006 First non-Norwegian 10th Paul C. Pribbenow 2006– Close